Live to Lie, Lie to Live
by WhizkidHV
Summary: A liar. That was Gwyn Adams. Lying about who he was, even to himself. Lying to fit in, to make friends. Lying to cover up who he was inside. He was used to them. Spent his entire life using them, shifting from mask to mask, person to person. But when you live to lie, and lie to live... who are you?
1. Liar, Liar

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

A flash of black steel, near invisible in the shadowy forest. A scythe, racing to reap its victim's life.

Gwyn raised his blade to meet the attack, parrying at the last second. He jumped to the side in the next moment and avoided being riddled with holes as the scythe morphed into a submachine gun, its wielder changing the scythe's form in an instant with practiced ease.

The recent Signal graduate narrowed his eyes, focusing on his opponent.

His foe was an unremarkable man. He had the kind of face and build that you would forget about the moment you lost track of him. Even after all these years in Signal under his tutelage, Gwyn still couldn't recall Qrow's face unless the teacher was standing before him.

Like now.

Qrow flicked his wrist and the submachine gun turned back into a scythe. He tilted his head to the side and gave the Signal graduate an appraising look. "...You've gotten much better, Mr. Adams."

Silence. Then, a blur of white and red followed by a flash of silver raced towards Qrow's neck.

The instructor smiled and shifted his wrist, the black scythe he wielded moving just the narrowest margin.

A resounding crash of steel echoed throughout the forest.

Even then, Qrow's wrist never stopped moving. In the next instant, the submachine gun was once again in his hands. "But you've still a long ways to go."

Gwyn paused, his sword an inch from Qrow's neck, and glanced down. A cold, black steel drum hovered just above his heart.

He sighed and stepped back, lowering his weapon. The false and simple steel sword melted away, returning to its original form: a small silvery ball that Gwyn tucked away in his robes.

"So I see, Professor."

Gwyn ran a hand through his spiked brown hair and pushed it back to his right, his hair style having been disrupted from the high speed combat.

He winced as the action sent a stab of pain through his head.

"And the first step to that is mastering your Semblance." Qrow stepped forward and peered into his student's eyes. "...Bloodshot. Like I thought." The instructor sighed and shook his head. "Mr. Adams. I understand that training is important to you, but you need to remember to rest. Even our Auras cannot heal sustained injuries, especially when caused by our own powers."

Gwyn didn't bother to respond. The act of doing anything more than standing promised a painful retribution, as he had learned from past experiences.

A soft glow surrounded him, and then Gwyn's pain vanished.

"Thank you, Professor."

Qrow frowned at the young man's curt response. "So polite, even now? You've graduated already, with naught but a month to spare before leaving to Beacon. Surely we've moved beyond such formalities?"

A smooth smile slipped onto Gwyn's face. "Yes, but one must keep up appearances, should they not?"

Qrow didn't respond. He turned his back to Gwyn and began walking away. "I suppose they must." The professor stopped at the edge of the forest clearing where they fought and tilted his head back. "But I wonder, Mr. Adams. Which is the real you? The polite student I taught? The ruthless warrior I just fought? Or perhaps... someone else?"

Gwyn remained silent, staring at the back of his fondest teacher.

"...Good luck at Beacon, Gwyn. May you find what you're looking for there."

And then he was alone in the forest.

White robes over a red tunic shifted in a shallow breeze, and Gwyn pulled out the silver ball from his pocket. The weapon, forged with Dust and a Titanium alloy, shimmered underneath the fading daylight.

"Which is the real me...?" He shook his head and clenched his hand around the ball, surrounding the palm-sized sphere.

The orb was thrown into the air, and a moment later the forest was silent with the young man nowhere to be seen.

A month passed since the fight, and it was time to leave for Beacon. Gwyn stood with his peers as they boarded the airship, holding a worn, leather suitcase in his right hand. The contents didn't amount to much, only a few spare changes of clothes and the essentials, like toiletries.

Following the line of students, he had just loaded it on the storage deck when a voice called out to him. "Are you... Gwyn?"

He recognized that voice. Turning around, he saw who had addressed him. It was a young girl, relatively short in comparison to the other Beacon candidates. Black blouse and skirt, red cloak, reddish-brown hair and silver eyes. Only one person he knew fit that description.

Gwyn tilted his head to the side. "Ruby Rose?"

Ruby nodded and relaxed at his response. "Oh thank god. I was starting to think I wouldn't know anyone here, you know? I mean, I suddenly get moved ahead two years, don't know what we need to do, and then I can't even find Yang..."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ruby." Gwyn gave her a small smile and short bow of his head. "It must be stressful to be in that situation."

Ruby let out a nervous laugh. "Ehe, yeah." She paused. "But I'll be alright. I mean, my sister's here too. I just have to find her. Yang, you know? We don't look much alike but-"

Gwyn held up a hand, halting the nervous girl's chatter. "Relax, Ruby. It will be fine." The brown-haired young man smoothed his robes, the white cloth trailing behind him and highlighting the crimson jerkin he wore underneath. He glanced towards the viewing deck and then turned his head back to look at Ruby. "Why don't we head over there to see where Yang is, shall we?"

Ruby gave a short nod, and then moved to Gwyn's side, staying close to the older student.

The airship was filled with the other Beacon candidates, all around Gwyn's age. It appeared that Ruby was the exception in their year, the only student below the age of seventeen. As they made their way through their future peers, Gwyn noted just how tense Ruby was. Where before she was talking non-stop, she now remained silent, hands clenched on her dress.

Despite her nervous energy, she gave off a refreshingly authentic and innocent air and Gwyn found himself enjoying her silent company.

After a few more moments of walking, Ruby brightened and pointed towards a group of students. "Oh! There's Yang!"

Gwyn followed the direction Ruby pointed and saw a blonde girl dressed in an outfit themed after an olden aviator suit.

Ruby gave Gwyn a small smile. "Thanks for the company Gwyn, sorry to be a bother!" With that said, the younger girl dashed off towards her sibling. "See you at Beacon!"

He watched as Yang wrapped her sister in a tight embrace, and then engaged Ruby in an animated conversation.

Gwyn frowned a bit, but smoothed his expression and left to examine the rest of the airship.

The airship was large, as it had to be to fit the dozens of students travelling to Beacon. Windows were a frequent sight as Gwyn explored, showing the expanse of blue sky and clouds outside. Most of his peers took to those windows, looking down at the moving terrain they left behind.

The brunette ignored them, but responded to those few that greeted him as he passed. He wasn't close to any of them, but he would never disregard a polite greeting even from strangers.

After a few more minutes of walking, he found an abandoned spot by the windows and took his place there.

Gazing at the sight of the land slipping away beneath him, at the cities slipping past, and at the blue sea stretching out, Gwyn let out a soft, relaxed smile. "Soon."

* * *

A/N: So I started a new fic after watching RWBY. I really shouldn't have, but the ideas were too much.

Thanks for reading and leave a review if you enjoyed. I appreciate the feedback, even if it's something simple as 'good chapter'.

Edited 2/5/14


	2. No Rest for the Weary

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

At last, the airship landed.

Gwyn sighed, a disappointed frown on his face. Casting a look around his surroundings, he saw that it was still quiet.

_Hopefully the rest of my time here is like this._ Gwyn shrugged and made his way out of the airship, his white and red outfit trailing like flames behind him.

He had been in the back of the airship, and the other Beacon candidates were nowhere to be seen on his way out. A small smile was on his face as he walked the empty halls of the ship, but the reprieve from troublesome interactions with people he didn't know wasn't to last.

As he reached the hall leading to the exit, he saw a girl in white with long hair like newly fallen snow. Her imperious azure eyes glared at uniformed men hustling to assemble a mass of silver cases onto a luggage cart. She stamped her feet and said, "Come on, everybody else is already gone! Hurry up, will you?"

Gwyn sighed again. _Never a moment's respite for me, is there?_

He glanced around to see if there was a way to avoid a confrontation with the girl, but remembered that the only way out was the long hallway before him.

With no other choice, he took a deep breath and adopted a relaxed stance. With a confident air, he strolled down the hall, hoping that the girl wouldn't bother him.

"Hm?"

Of course that wouldn't happen, considering his luck.

The girl noticed him as soon as Gwyn approached. On closer examination, Gwyn realized that girl really wasn't the right term for her. She looked more like an imperious young woman than a girl, despite her smaller stature.

"I thought that the others had gone." The girl crossed her arms and tilted her head. "What are you still doing here?"

Gwyn gave a small nod in greeting. "Hello to you as well."

The girl flushed. "Ah, forgive me." She cast a brief glance at her servants and then stepped towards Gwyn, right hand offered. "Weiss Schnee."

Gwyn gave her a small bow. "Of course. It is a pleasure to meet the heiress of the Schnee corporation."

"I'm gladdened to be recognized." Weiss gave him a bright smile. "And you are?"

The Signal graduate held back a sigh and stepped past Weiss. "I beg your forgiveness Ms. Schnee, but I'm afraid we'll have to finish this introduction later. I would like to have some time to explore Beacon before the opening ceremony." He turned and gave her another bow before setting off at a brisk pace down the hallway. "Until we meet again, Ms. Schnee."

After a few steps, Weiss called out. "Wait!"

This time, he did sigh. _No rest for the weary, it seems._ He turned towards the Schnee heiress. "Yes, Ms. Schnee?"

Her servants were still bustling about behind her, the silver cases almost all loaded. Weiss, on the other hand, stood with her arms crossed, an irritated expression on her face. "You aren't so rude as to leave me without your name, are you?"

Gwyn stuck his right hand into his pocket and gripped his silver sphere, the cool metal calming his fraying nerves. "Adams. Gwyn Adams." He turned around without waiting to see Weiss's reaction. "Now, until we meet again, Ms. Schnee."

He left without another look back, determined to get as much solitude as he could before the opening ceremony where he'd be forced to interact with other students.

Of course, that didn't stop Weiss from getting the last word. "How rude!"

The rest of his trip was without incident or confrontation. After leaving the airship, he saw that most of the other Beacon candidates were too enthralled with the campus and school to notice much else.

He took advantage of that fact and slipped inside the building, looking for the school's library, or some other quiet place to reflect.

Beacon was an impressive establishment, a fact that Gwyn admitted. The central building was grand, towering above the school grounds, and the surrounding buildings gave the school and appearance of a castle or temple. The architecture was noble, offering an air of solemn elegance to its halls.

The campus, on the other hand, was simply beautiful. The serene grass lawn with a park-like ambience would be perfect for studying. Adding to that was the breath-taking view from the cliffs, a sheer drop that could be called romantic, if not marvelous.

Gwyn acknowledged all of that on his way through the school, avoiding interaction with any students along the way with a practiced ease.

He didn't manage to find the library, but he found a secluded spot by a window looking out at the school grounds. Unfortunately, someone was already there.

A girl with black hair and matching bow on her head leaned against the windowsill. Her outfit appeared to be a butler uniform, retailored for ease of movement and to suit its wearer. She had a book in hand and was reading when he found her.

Yet again, Gwyn sighed. He wanted a quiet and secluded spot to rest, but it seemed that wasn't to be. He expected it, considering that this was a school meant for warriors who were to be assigned to teams, but he would have loved just another brief moment of silence.

_Still,_ Gwyn thought, _she doesn't seem to be the talkative type. _He shrugged and took up a spot on the opposite side of the window.

The girl stiffened and turned to look at Gwyn, but when she saw that he had no intention of talking she turned back to her book.

Gwyn fixed his brown hair and stared out at the grounds. It was a bright and sunny day, perfect for a first impression of Beacon Academy. The students were taking advantage of the good weather and milled about the grounds. Eventually, the number of students outside thinned until only two remained: Ruby and a blonde boy that Gwyn vaguely recalled passing on the airship.

"They look lost." It was a soft voice, mellow and almost solemn.

Gwyn turned with a raised eyebrow.

The girl was staring at him.

_Golden eyes... that's unexpected._ Gwyn nodded. "So they are."

The girl closed her book and straightened, stepping away from the window. "The ceremony will start soon."

Gwyn cast another look at the lost pair out on the school grounds, and then stepped away as well.

"Then let's be off. They'll make their way eventually. Ruby has a good enough grasp on directions to get them there." _Hopefully._

The girl tilted her head and gave Gwyn a curious glance before nodding and setting off at a brisk pace along the marbled halls.

Gwyn turned back to the window, planning to savor a last moment of silence.

"GWYN! Heeey!"

And then a blur of yellow crashed into his side.

"Oof... what?" He blinked away the spots of light in his vision and then looked down at the culprit. "...Yang?"

Ruby's sister stepped back and gave Gwyn an energetic smile. "The one and only!" She grabbed his hand and then started off at a hurried pace, pulling along the unfortunate brunette. "Come on, it's almost time to start the ceremony!"

"Ah, but I-"

He cast one more look at the clear blue sky, and then slumped, realizing his time of rest was at an end for the foreseeable future.

"Alright. Now can you let go?"

Yang gave Gwyn a mischievous grin and wrapped her grip tighter around his wrist. "Nope! Still gotta thank you for cheering Ruby up, after all!"

"...Of course."

Gwyn suppressed a sigh and followed the energetic young woman's lead. It'd be too much effort to resist. "Well, catch me if you can then!"

And then he was gone, vanishing in a blur of red and white.

"That's the Gwyn I know!" Yang grinned and then broke out in a blistering pace after him. "You've still got a long way to go before you can outrun me though, Gwyn!"

A trail of blazing flames followed the wake of the red and white blur.

The students witnessing the streaks of light gave them a wide berth, not wanting to be caught in their rampage.

Then the opening ceremony began.

* * *

Edited: 2/5/14


	3. Lies, Truths

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

The incoming Beacon class were gathered in the main hall to attend the opening ceremony.

Gwyn stood next to Yang and her group of friends.

"So what do you think of Beacon, Gwyn? It's AWESOME, isn't it?" The words were spoken by a girl that he couldn't be bothered to remember the features of.

He grinned and nodded. "Obviously! Well, it'd have to be if someone like me's here."

"There's our Gwyn for ya!" Yang slung an arm over his shoulder and leaned against him. "Always gotta try and one up everyone, don't you?"

A smirk crossed Gwyn's face. "Well, _someone_ has to set an example for the rest of you mortals, doesn't he?"

Yang laughed and stepped back to her spot. "Mortals? Oh, so just because you managed to get top place you think you're 'holier than thou', hm?"

Gwyn shrugged, a cool grin sliding on his face. "I'm only stating the facts, Yang. It's obvious that no one here would stand a chance against me if I went all out." _And they'd be dead. _

"Puh-leze!" Yang flung her hand to the side. "Aren't you the one who gets floored by Uncle Qrow in three seconds flat every time you spar with him?"

"Is that true, Gwyn!"

"Hah, so even 'the Templar' can be beat!"

_Naive._ Gwyn hid a scowl._ None of you have faced a killer. None of you have fought where death is but a breath away._

Gwyn laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. It's a bit embarrassing, but Professor Qrow is seriously skilled! Besides." He puffed his chest and clasped his hands behind his neck. "None of you managed to be top in the class, now did you?"

As his peers chatted about his latest words, Gwyn took the moment to close his eyes. He reached into his pocket and grasped his sphere, the cool metal calming him and restoring his energy, something he needed to handle his boisterous peers.

"Hey, Ruby! Over here!"

Gwyn opened his eyes, turning towards where Yang was waving. Like Yang said, Ruby was there. The young girl entered the hall with the blonde Gwyn had seen her wandering the grounds with.

Catching Yang's gaze, Ruby said something to her companion and then dashed over, leaving the blonde young man alone in the crowd.

For a moment, the sheer desolation in the blonde's expression was enough to make Gwyn want to invite him over, but a girl, one with bright red hair and wearing bronze and leather armor, beat Gwyn to it.

Seeing that the blonde was taken care of, Gwyn turned his attention to the other blonde he knew and her sister. "Hello there, Ruby."

The younger Beacon candidate gave him an absent nod. "Hey Gwyn." After that short greeting, she rounded on her older sister. "You ditched me!"

Yang took a step back, hands up in a peaceful gesture. "First day not going well, sis?"

Ruby crossed her arms and glared at her sister. "Not going well? I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!"

Gwyn nodded. "That would explain the loud explosion I heard some students discussing."

Ruby spun towards Gwyn. "See! He knows what I'm talking about!" The young girl frowned and began ranting to her sister about her troubles.

Of course, the act drew attention from the other students around them.

"Hey, is that Yang's sister?"

"Isn't she a bit young to be here?"

"Maybe she cheated? What do you think, Gwyn?"

_Shallow and worthless young men and women they are... _Gwyn leaned back and shrugged. "Well, I think that all of you are going to grovel at my feet when you see how awesome I am during our initiation."

His bold claim distracted the unmemorable students and they went back to chatting amongst themselves about the initiation and what was to come.

"YOU!"

The sudden exclamation caused Ruby to jump into Yang's arms and Gwyn to turn towards it on instinct.

He wished he didn't.

The source was an all-too-familiar white-haired girl, glaring at a frightened Ruby. Of course, since Gwyn had turned to look, she noticed and turned her gaze on him instead. "And YOU!"

Weiss crossed her arms and leaned forward, brows scrunched in anger. "How dare you run away from me? Hmph!" She scoffed and tossed her head to the side. "Gwyn Adams, the top ranked Signal graduate with special distinction in combat... I had a lot to say to you, you know?!"

Gwyn resisted the urge to cringe. Surrounded by these people who knew him, he couldn't afford to show it, lest he break the confident image they had of him.

Instead, he smirked and cocked his head back, gazing at Weiss with a condescending look. "And what is there to say, Princess? That you would like to be on my team?" Gwyn shrugged, and turned his smirk to a wide grin. "Sorry, but only the best can keep up with me. I'm not sure someone like you, who's been given everything her entire life makes the cut."

A seed of irritation. This wasn't going how Gwyn planned. His hand went again to his sphere in an effort to smooth his fraying nerves.

Of course, Weiss wasn't about to let him off that easily. "Ex_cuse_ me?"

At that point, Gwyn and Weiss began to draw the attention of a small crowd around them. Ruby and Yang in particular were watching the two with a sense of awed disbelief, if Gwyn read their expressions right.

Not wanting to risk losing his temper, the brown haired young man turned his back to the Schnee heiress.

"Why _you_-!"

"Ahem." Professor Ozpin appeared on the stage, and Weiss was forced to concede for the moment. She looked indignant, but grudgingly leaned back to listen to the speech.

Gwyn missed the beginning of it, still quelling his fraying nerves and rising temper, but certain words cut across his efforts, striking right at his heart.

"...All I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose. Direction."

The moment he heard those, he snapped his head to the Headmaster.

Ozpin had paused for a brief moment to let his words sink in, but at that time Gwyn could have sworn the gray-haired man was looking and talking directly to him.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this." Ozpin continued. "But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Gwyn was shocked, the last of the headmaster's words ringing in his head.

_"Knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."_

He felt a soft tap on his right shoulder. Gwyn turned his head and saw Ruby standing by his side, a concerned expression on her face. "Hey," she whispered. "Are you alright, Gwyn? You don't look too good."

For a moment, Gwyn's face blurred to those looking at him, but then it resolved and he had a wide grin on. "Thanks for the concern Ruby, but I'm fine. Just... excited."

Ruby nodded and stepped back in line as Glynda Goodwitch took the microphone.

The huntress explained that the Beacon candidates would be sleeping in the ballroom tonight and that the initiation would begin tomorrow. With a final message for them to be ready, Glynda dismissed the students.

"So Gwyn-" Yang started to greet the brown-haired young man after Glynda stepped off the stage, but Weiss had other plans.

Without a word, the Schnee heiress grabbed Gwyn's hand and pulled him away from the bulk of the student body.

Ruby was wide-eyed when she saw Weiss's action, but it soon turned to a glare when she got over her surprise.

Before either of the sisters could act on their impulses, Gwyn turned back to give them a placating smile and nod. "I'll be back soon," he mouthed.

Seeing that, the sisters relaxed.

Of course, Weiss's tension and built-up anger was enough to counteract that ten-fold.

The Schnee heiress stopped in a corner of the hall. Once there, she let go of Gwyn's hand and then spun around to glare at him, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed in a condescending manner.

"I demand an apology."

Gwyn took a look around and, seeing nobody in the immediate vicinity, sighed. His face softened, the cocky and arrogant persona replaced by an earnest individual. "I truly am sorry, Ms. Schnee. However, I hold by my words from before." He shook his head. "I don't believe you're capable of keeping up with me."

Weiss cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowed.

"And why not?"

Gwyn opened his mouth to speak.

"And don't you start on me being the Schnee Heiress."

He sighed and let out a small smile. "Of course not, Ms. Schnee. My intentions are not to belittle you, but a clear statement of fact."

Seeing that the Schnee heiress wasn't convinced, Gwyn shook his head and pulled out his sphere, keeping it clenched in his hand to calm his nerves and give support for what he had to say next.

"Tell me, have you ever fought a creature of Grimm?"

"Eh?" The heiress stammered, flushing red. "O-of course I have! I mean, who hasn't..."

Gwyn narrowed his eyes, locking his gaze with hers. As he expected, she looked away.

"I thought as much." He stepped back, brushing the side of his worn white robes and then cast a long look at Weiss's pristine dress. "Someone like you has never had to truly push themselves to excel. You've never faced true hardships."

_SLAP._

Gwyn's head whipped to the side from the impact, but he remained rooted to the spot.

"How DARE you!"

If looks could kill, as the saying went, Gwyn would be a dead man there and then.

The Schnee heiress let out an incoherent snarl and then, realizing her loss of composure, leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms again. Her expression was indignant but frigid, as white cold as the color of her hair. "You have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

When Gwyn turned his head back to look at Weiss, she gasped and tried to take a step back, forgetting that she was already against the wall.

The young man was smiling. His white robes and red jerkin were disheveled, but not too much. Ordinary, one might say.

But there was nothing ordinary about the one Weiss was looking at right now.

That smile was blank, almost plastic. The eyes, a color Weiss hadn't noticed until now, were a deep red. As red as blood, yet they were so _dull_. Dead was a fitting description for them. The life, that spark of confidence and calm earlier was gone, replaced by... nothing.

And his skin.

It was tan, wasn't it? A healthy pallor of someone who spent the most of their days under the sun?

Why, why was it as pale as a long dead corpse?

"And you have no idea what it takes to get where I am, Ms. Schnee." Despite the physical changes, the voice was the same. Calm and collected. Eerily so.

Gwyn took a step forward, placing one hand on the wall, and leaned towards Weiss. To observers, it might have looked like the start of something intimate.

To Weiss, it was terrifying.

The heiress squirmed, trying to put more distance between her and the monster that had replaced the man she was talking to.

"I have seen death. I have been cut, torn apart, bruised, and battered inside and out."

He leaned back. "This isn't something you do half-hearted. And until you can show me that you desire to be a huntress more than some act of rebellion against your father, I won't accept you."

With that, he turned on his heel and left.

The student body gave the young man a wide-berth before turning back to Weiss.

The Schnee heiress slumped down against the wall, arms wrapped around herself.

xxx

Gwyn didn't know where he was walking. He needed space, and his feet took him to a place where no one would be around to test his nerves.

When he stopped, he realized that he had left the main hall, and was now outside the door of the ballroom. Gwyn sighed and entered, deciding that it would at least save him the time of returning there later.

He paused for a moment, realizing something. _Ah. I'll have to apologize to Ruby and Yang later._ Gwyn sighed again. Nothing was working out the way it should have today. He had just wanted a moment's rest, wanted to move between his peers with as little attention as possible before starting his journey to becoming a true Huntsman and joining a team.

Instead, that _princess_ had to go and ruin everything.

Gwyn shook his head. _No. That's not true._ It was his fault to begin with. Weiss seemed nice, and the fear in her eyes when she looked at Gwyn's real appearance was true. Fear, and a terrifying recognition of what the cost was.

She might have a frosty appearance, but it looked like she was as fragile as ice. And Gwyn had lashed out at her.

The young man sighed yet again and pushed through the doors to the ballroom. _First day and I already have a list of apologies lined up. _

He shook his head and regained his composure before he entered.

The ball room was similar to the main hall in terms of size. The main difference was that the tall windows on the walls were covered in soft, red draperies and there appeared to be an upper level, judging from the staircase along the left wall.

A few Beacon candidates were milling about inside. Most were unremarkable, at least to Gwyn, but a young man with an emerald-colored Eastern outfit and a bubbly girl with orange hair and white armor next to the young man caught Gwyn's eyes.

He could feel a headache starting again with all the people present, so he walked towards a secluded corner of the room.

His sphere was still in his right hand, but the cool touch wasn't enough to calm him now. His emotions had been strung too high in the past moments, so he needed something to do, a way to relax before he snapped at someone who didn't deserve it.

He leaned against the wall and took deep, calming breaths. That managed to anchor his thoughts, grounding his mind in reality and the present.

Relaxed, he turned his hand up and opened it, letting the silver sphere rest on the center of his palm.

With unerring focus, Gwyn stared at the sphere, watching as it changed shapes.

First, a cube. Then a pyramid. Simple geometric designs.

Gwyn was familiar with making them, and the simplicity of the exercise helped numb his mind. But it wasn't enough to keep the thoughts away, so he increased the complexity.

Now it was a swan, with detailed feathers and an elegant neck. Then a raptor, about to burst into flight. A lion, maw gaped in an unheard roar.

"That's an interesting sphere you have there."

Gwyn flinched and the lion snapped back to being a simple sphere. A small headache formed, but it wasn't intense due to the minor scale he was manipulating the sphere.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to distract you!"

He looked up at the speaker. It was that red-haired girl he had seen earlier in the ceremony, the one with bronze and leather armor who had helped the blonde.

The girl had clasped her hands over her mouth and looked at Gwyn with apologetic eyes.

Gwyn shook his head and straightened his stance. "It's no trouble." He took a step forward to properly face the girl and took a closer look at her. As he had thought, her outfit was armor, leather reinforced with bronze, form-fitting so as to move comfortably with its wearer. Her hair was an attractive shade of red, not bloody, nor of fire, but that of fresh autumn leaves. Startling emerald eyes stared back at him from underneath the red locks, kind and concerned.

He knew this girl. "You're Pyrrha Nikos, are you not? The top graduate at Sanctum?"

Pyrrha relaxed and nodded, lowering her hands to show a cheerful smile. "Yes, I am. And you are... Adams, right? Gwyn Adams?"

Gwyn paused for a brief moment, contemplating his next course of action. Seeing as she seemed like an honest person, he decided to drop all pretenses. "I see my reputation precedes me." He sighed.

Pyrrha looked puzzled. "Is something wrong with that?"

"No, no. I'm just... surprised is all. I'm really not that good." He gave a bitter smile and turned back to his sphere. "Sorry if I seem a bit different than what you expected." He frowned. "Back there with Ms. Schnee... I kind of lost my temper." He sighed. "I'm not usually like that."

Pyrrha gave him an understanding nod. "No, I understand. It's not all it's made up to be, right? Being at the top?"

Gwyn shrugged. "Perhaps. Still haven't made up my mind on that." He frowned as soon as the words left his mouth. "Sorry. That's a bit personal, so forgive me if I don't elaborate."

"Don't worry about it."

He was quiet and turned back to his sphere, resuming the shape manipulation exercises.

Pyrrha frowned at the action. "How are you doing that?" She leaned closer, her face hovering above the palmed sphere. "The amount of metal is the same, but the shape doesn't add up. It's like... you're adding something that's not there."

Gwyn stopped and turned it back into a sphere. He gave Pyrrha a curious look. "And how would you know that?"

The red-haired girl smiled and placed her own hand a few inches above the sphere. With a look of concentration, the sphere started to float. She turned back to Gwyn with a bright smile. "My Semblance is 'polarity'. Since I need to know how strong of a charge metal has to use it, I can tell how much metal is there by using it."

"It suits you, Pyrrha."

The girl smiled. "Well, it would have to, wouldn't it?" She leaned back and looked into Gwyn's eyes. "So, is that how you're doing it? Are you using your Semblance to change its shape?"

He smirked and pocketed the sphere. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it's just a property of my weapon."

For a moment, Pyrrha was struck silent. Then she cast her eyes to where Gwyn had pocketed his sphere. "That's your weapon?" She gave him a wide smile. "What's its name? And what does it do?"

Gwyn gave her an exasperated sigh, though it was more for dramatic effect than a true indication of his feelings. "If you're that curious about it." He pulled it out and held it to the light, the silver sphere shimmering with the action. "I call it, 'Grail Sanctum'."

He tossed the sphere up, the metallic coating blurring across the shadows, before catching it in his right hand.

Gwyn gave Pyrrha an impish smile. "As for its uses..." He closed his hand, and an instant later a decorated European long sword of gold and silver appeared in his hand. "Well, it can do this."

And then the sword was gone, the weapon once again a small silver sphere.

He smiled at Pyrrha's shocked expression and said, "It was nice meeting you Ms. Nikos." Gwyn pocketed Grail Sanctum and started walking away. "However, the day draws to a close, and it'd be in our benefits to find a proper place to rest until the morning. Fare thee well and good night."

"Ah, it was nice meeting you too!" Pyrrha called out from behind him.

Gwyn smiled, heart lightened from his talk with Pyrrha, and left to find a place to rest for the night.

Not wanting to sleep by strangers, Gwyn headed for the ballroom stage and laid out his sleeping bag. His actions were met with confusion by some, looks of exasperation by others, and indifference by the rest.

_I suppose that's one way to make them forget about their nerves for the night. _Gwyn shrugged off the attention and settled down into his sleeping bag.

He was asleep in seconds.

At some point in his slumber, he thought he heard Ruby, Yang, and Weiss argue over something, but he was only half-asleep at that point and didn't think much of it when the white-haired girl apologized.

"GWYN!"

Gwyn's eyes snapped open. Instincts fired and he was rolling to the side, one hand clasped on Grail Sanctum even before acknowledging the source of his disturbance.

Fortunately, his mind caught up to his instincts before three feet of steel was rammed into someone's face.

He finished his roll with a reverse somersault, kicking the sleeping bag out during the action, and then stood up, glaring at the person who was half a second away from being stabbed.

Yang gave Gwyn a sheepish grin and scratched the back of her head. "Ehe... Morning?"

Gwyn sighed and ran his left hand across his brown hair. "I would recommend waking me in a more... gentle manner in the future, Yang, unless you want to be skewered at this time of the day."

The blonde gave him a lecherous grin and sidled closer. "Weeell..."

"YANG!" A red-faced Ruby smacked her older sister.

"Hey! Cut it out Ruby!" The blonde playfully dodged Ruby's following attacks. "He asked for it!"

Still groggy from being woken, Gwyn's mind took a moment to process the actions of the sisters.

When he did, he groaned. "Of course." He sighed and picked up his sleeping bag. "I'll see you two at the initiation. Thanks for waking me up... I suppose."

The blonde grinned and grabbed his arm. "Well of course!" She frowned for a brief moment. "You didn't keep your promise yesterday." A bright smile filled her face, the frown all but forgotten in the wake of its energy. "So you'll just have to make it up to us!"

She started pulling Gwyn away before he could even think about protesting. "Come on Ruby! They have pancakes!"

"Yang! Let go of Gwyn!" Ruby ran after them, face flushed with anger.

"Nuh-uh! He's mine sis!"

Gwyn sighed in exasperation, though a small smile was on his face. _At least these will be interesting times. _


	4. The Launch

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

Yang and Ruby dragged Gwyn around as they made their morning rounds. At the moment, the group was sitting down at a table in the school's cafeteria, a large room bustling with all the other students sitting at the rows of tables lined within.

The three were seated at the end of a row of tables, with Gwyn on one side and the sisters on the other.

The students closest to them were talking about the initiation, making conjectures, and talking about teams.

Gwyn ignored them and took out Grail Sanctum, ensuring it was fit for whatever trials they would face today. He had polished off his pancakes in a mechanical manner the moment he sat down, and he used the extra time to prepare for the initiation.

"Hey, Gwyn." Ruby pointed her fork at Gwyn's silver orb, her pancakes half-finished. "I've been meaning to ask you. What's with the shiny ball? I thought you had a sword?"

The top Signal graduate grinned and flicked his wrist to the left, as if he was holding a blade in salute. "You mean this?" And then, out of nowhere, a steel sword appeared.

It was a plain European long sword with a cross guard, fashioned for practicality rather than appearance. The entire weapon, from tip to hilt, was the same color as Grail Sanctum had been, a silvery sheen, but had different textures according to the part's utility.

The blade was a smooth silver, the guard a solid-looking matte silver, and the hilt was a textured silver to provide a firm grip.

Ruby's eyes widened at the blade, sparkling with enthusiasm. "Ooh! Can I see?"

Gwyn relaxed his grip and the sword reverted to a simple sphere, which he handed over to Ruby.

Ruby turned the sphere over in her hands, looking at it from all angles. "Huh...? It's just a metal sphere." After examining it and finding no grooves, lines, or places where it came apart, she looked up at Gwyn. "How do you change it?"

Gwyn smirked and took it back. With a snap of his wrist, it turned into a magnum pistol. "Magic?"

Ruby frowned and huffed at his action. "Well fine! Don't tell me!"

Yang laughed and wrapped an arm around her sister. "Don't worry about it Ruby!" The blonde pointed a finger at Gwyn and gave him an accusatory look. "That guy won't even tell me how it works. It's pretty much our class's greatest mystery!"

Gwyn nodded, pocketing Grail Sanctum back in his white robes. "Of course. I have to keep at least one ace up my sleeve. Never know when I might need it, after all."

Ruby frowned and tapped her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Maybe a double helix ball bearing system? Rapid emulsion of air? Dust amplification...?" The girl trailed off and grabbed a napkin, pulling out a pen from her skirt, and started sketching out possible methods on how the sphere changed forms.

Yang shook her head. "Oh Ruby."

Gwyn smiled at Ruby's enthusiastic sketching and then set his silverware on his plate. "Speaking of aces..." Gwyn stood from his place at the table. "I'll meet you two later. I want to go gather my equipment before the initiation."

Yang gave him an absent nod as she tried to convince her sister to finish her food instead of geeking out over her weapons.

Leaving them behind, Gwyn walked out of the cafeteria and made his way to the lockers where the incoming students' equipment had been placed.

The area containing the lockers was a long hallway, divided in parts by walls and archways between the partitions. A few decorative blades hung here and there, a reminder that Beacon was a school for warriors. Lockers lined the walls, with only a foot between each, numbered in ascending order. There were benches between each row of lockers, a place for the students to place their belongings while they sort them.

Gwyn had been assigned to locker 200, near the cafeteria and exit to the dorms. He walked towards his designated locker and entered his given passcode in the keypad before opening the metal door.

His suitcase had been placed inside, resting against the thin steel walls. Gwyn pulled it out, setting it on the nearby bench, and opened it. The contents were just as he left them: spare clothes and the essentials that he always carried around.

"Toothpaste, toothbrush, hair gel... Ah, here it is." Gwyn pulled out a white rod, split vertically down the center. "My scroll. I'll need that to gauge my Aura later." He placed that in an inner pocket of his robes and then looked back in his suitcase. "One more item and that will be it for now... There you are."

It was a strange thing to behold, what Gwyn pulled out. To a casual observer, it looked like nothing more than a ball of junk. Duct tape, bits of various metals and stones, fabric, and a myriad of other useless scraps were glued together in a haphazard ball. To a perceptive observer... well it still looked like junk.

However, this was Gwyn's utility kit, something as useful to him as his weapon and only so because of his Semblance. "There's my other ace." He nodded, looking fondly at the ball of materials, and then closed the suitcase, putting it back into the locker. He carefully pocketed his utility kit and then paused as he heard voices nearby.

It was a pair of females talking, and they sounded familiar. Curiosity got the better of him and Gwyn decided to take a look.

He stepped away from his locker and walked to the set one partition over. "Good morning."

They turned, and Gwyn acknowledged that, yes, he did know the two ladies.

Pyrrha waved, a bright smile on her face. "Oh! Good morning Gwyn!"

As for the other lady, well Weiss didn't appear to be in a charitable mood. She flinched when she caught Gwyn's eyes and then turned away, red-faced and arms crossed, in a huff. "...Morning."

Gwyn sighed and leaned against the side of an unopened locker. "And good morning to you as well, Ms. Schnee."

Pyrrha looked at the two and then recalled what Gwyn said the last time they talked. "Ah, is this because of what you told me yesterday, Gwyn?"

Weiss snapped and pointed an accusing finger at Gwyn. "What did you tell her?!"

Gwyn frowned, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "I have only said that we had a disagreement and that I lost my temper. Did you wish for me to say something else, Ms. Schnee?"

"Ah." Weiss crossed her arms and turned her head away. "Well... good!"

Pyrrha gave the two an amused look. "You know, the two of you are pretty similar."

Weiss coughed and avoided Gwyn's amused gaze. "A-anyway, have you two given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on?"

Gwyn tilted his head to the side, confused at Weiss's sudden change in topic, but decided to follow her lead. "I don't mind, as long as my teammates are serious about their roles."

The words caused Weiss to redden again, but Pyrrha spoke up before the heiress could say anything. "Oh, I dunno. I was thinking of letting the chips fall where they may."

Weiss turned towards Pyrrha, again ignoring Gwyn, and said, "Well, I was thinking we could maybe be on a team together."

Pyrrha smiled and looked between her and Gwyn. "That sounds grand, but why don't you ask Gwyn? He did graduate at the top of Signal, like I did at Sanctum, after all."

"No." Gwyn shook his head, preempting any response.

"Eh?" Pyrrha gave him a confused look. "Why not?" The red-haired girl frowned. "Do you doubt Weiss's ability? She can't be that bad, considering she got accepted here, you know?"

Gwyn sighed and took a seat on the wooden bench behind them, pulling out Grail Sanctum. "It's not that. I just don't believe the two of us would work well as a team. I believe I'm too... serious for someone of Ms. Schnee's background."

It was an indirect apology. A bit rude, Gwyn acknowledged, but Weiss had yet to apologize for slapping him, so that would be all she got from him for the time being.

Pyrrha looked between her two stubborn acquaintances and let out an exasperated sigh. "You two..."

The somber mood was broken by the appearance of a blonde teen in white plate mail. With a faked, confident stance, he sidled between the two females and flipped his hair to the side in a faux, suave manner. "Jaune Arc. I couldn't help but hear you two ladies talk about teams...?" He leaned towards Weiss. "There's plenty of room left on mine you know?"

Pyrrha waved at the blonde, having met him earlier during the opening ceremony. "Hello again!"

Gwyn stared at Jaune for a moment, bemused, and then couldn't help but laugh. "Smooth, Mr. Arc. Very smooth." He stifled a smirk as Weiss began to get irritated.

The blonde took one look at Gwyn, and then dismissed him, turning back to the Schnee heiress, leaning close to whisper. "You don't have to put up with Mr. Rude and Brooding over there."

If it was anyone else, being dismissed like that would have irritated them. But for Gwyn, all he could think was how amusing it was watching the blonde try and overcompensate for his awkwardness.

"That's a bit too close." Weiss took a step back, trying to put space between her and the pushy blonde. "And I think I'll say no to your offer."

Jaune shrugged and turned to Pyrrha. "What about you, hot stuff? Think you want a place on the 'Jaune Team'?"

Like Gwyn, the top Sanctum graduate was amused by Jaune's efforts, and looked intrigued.

As Jaune tried to woo the ladies, Gwyn sat back, taking the time to try and dissect Jaune's motives for adopting that attitude. _He's overly suave, so much that his desperation is apparent. _Gwyn watched as Weiss pushed Jaune away when he tried to get too close to Pyrrha. _And he doesn't seem to be able to take a hint._

Gwyn examined the blade on Jaune's side. _His weapon doesn't seem to be used much, judging from the pristine appearance. A faker, perhaps? Insecure, or putting on airs? That doesn't explain how he was accepted though, and his stance shows that he has at least some familiarity with that weapon..._

Lost in thought, he didn't notice Weiss retreat behind him. "Hey, you're a guy. Do something about him!" The next thing he knew, Gwyn was shoved up and out of the bench towards an unprepared Jaune.

The two collided, and Jaune was knocked to the ground. Gwyn managed to stay on his feet, accustomed to abrupt movements, though he was still stunned at the sudden change in position.

Gwyn shook his head and looked at Jaune, who was a disappointed mess, and then at Weiss. "Was that necessary, Ms. Schnee?"

Weiss was decent enough to cast a semi-concerned look at the blonde, but then she spun on her heel, grabbing Pyrrha's arm. "Hmph! Come on, Pyrrha. Let the boys sort this out." The heiress cast a brief look at Gwyn and then turned to the front without a glance back.

"Ah." Pyrrha followed Weiss, but turned and waved before leaving. "It was nice talking to you Jaune, Gwyn!"

The brunette sighed and offered a hand to the downed blonde. "Here, allow me."

Jaune grabbed the offered hand and pulled himself to his feet, but slumped immediately after. "I don't understand. My dad told me that all women want is confidence."

Gwyn patted him on the back. "A tough break, but I'm afraid it's not quite that simple. And there is a difference between being confident and pushy, you know?"

At that time, an announcement came on for all first year graduates to report to Beacon Cliff for the initiation.

Gwyn brushed his robes and checked his equipment once more before walking off. "I'll see you later, Mr. Arc. Try to remember to not over do it, alright?"

A frustrated sigh from the blonde was his response, bringing an amused smirk to Gwyn's face.

At Beacon Cliff, the candidates lined up on launch pads while Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch stood before the sheer drop, facing the students.

Gwyn stood on the pad immediately to Pyrrha's right, and two over from Weiss. Like before, the Schnee heiress was avoiding his gaze, though Gwyn noticed her cast a few brief looks his way when she thought he wasn't looking.

_Did I offend her again in some way?_ Gwyn wondered.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, was supportive and gave him assuring smiles.

Further down the line, to Gwyn's right, there was the bubbly, girl he saw the other day, as well as the young man that she had been bothering. Past them, he noticed Ruby and Yang, with Jaune at the last launch pad. The sisters were serious, paying full attention to the headmaster and Glynda as they made their speech.

Jaune looked miserable, and more than a bit nervous.

Gwyn shrugged. _Well, I can't do much to help him here. Let's hope he's at least adequate. Wouldn't want someone I met to die this early._

He rolled his shoulders and pulled out Grail Sanctum, keeping it clasped in his right hand as the two faculty members finished their speech.

The matter of teammates was cleared up, and Gwyn began formulating a plan. _So the first person we make eye contact with after landing will be with us for the next four years. Hm..._ Casting a quick look down the right, Gwyn considered his options.

_Well, I can strike Yang from my list. I don't believe I can handle being with her energy for the next four years. The pair directly to my right look like they already plan to meet, so they're out._

_Ruby is nice, but still young and innocent. I don't want her exposed to someone like me. Jaune is a gamble I would not want to take._

Gwyn looked to his left. _Ms. Schnee... there's too much friction to consider. The others past her I know next to nothing about, save for that black-haired girl with the bow, but her abilities are unknown._

The Signal graduate nodded, deciding on his course of action. _Pyrrha it is then._

"...Make your way to the northern end of the forest." Ozpin continued his speech, reaching the end. "Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path... or you _will_ die."

Gwyn nodded and braced himself. With parting words telling them their objective of retrieving relics from an abandoned temple, that they would be graded based on performance, and warning of instructor _laissez faire_ during the test, the launch began.

He pulled out his utility kit in his left hand and pointed both hands behind him, Grail Sanctum shifting to a magnum pulsing with crimson light.

It was time.

The pad snapped up, pushing with enough force to launch Gwyn high in the air.

He didn't fight it, somersaulting through the air with the added momentum. At the peak of his trajectory, he straightened out so that his torso was parallel to the ground and took a look at the other candidates, searching for Pyrrha.

The red-haired girl slowed her descent by barreling through trees with her shield, coming to a stop on a wide branch of a towering tree.

Gwyn marveled at Pyrrha's strategy. _Simple and effective. Genius. I'll have to remember that in the future._

Seeing that the others were coming to a stop, Gwyn put his own landing strategy into action.

He pulled his arms close to his side, increasing his speed, and aimed towards Pyrrha's direction. As the canopy of trees grew closer, Gwyn narrowed his eyes in concentration and raised his magnum straight ahead before pulling the trigger.

A burst of crimson energy shot from the firearm, and the force sent Gwyn upwards in another arcing somersault. A second shot pointed at the sky sent Gwyn flying towards the ground at breakneck speeds, aimed at Pyrrha's left.

The blinding downward velocity didn't faze Gwyn. In response to the rapid acceleration, he raised his left hand and concentrated.

There was a burst of shadows and the sound of tearing fabric.

Pyrrha looked up, having just helped Jaune with his own landing by pinning him to a tree, and was once again surprised by the top Signal graduate.

His white robes fluttered in the air like streams of smoke, and the red tunic underneath made it look like he was a ball of fire falling from the sky. The silver magnum in his right hand actually _was_ smoking, and its barrel glowed red hot. As for the cause of the shadows and noise, well, over a dozen parachutes of various shapes and sizes hung above Gwyn, cutting his blistering fall to a relaxed descent.

The brunette gave Pyrrha a small grin and waved at her with his right hand, his glowing gun leaving trails of smoke with the action. "Hello there, Ms. Nikos. Mind if I drop in?"

The red-head gave him an amused look as the parachutes caught on the thinner branches above the one she was standing on. "Well, if you can, go ahead!"

The tangled mess of fabric left Gwyn a few feet short. He took a look at the parachutes, then at the branch and shrugged. He wrenched his arm, the threads keeping him suspended tearing with the sudden motion, and dropped down next to Pyrrha, smiling. "I don't get to do that everyday, but when I do I make sure to parachute."

"Pft." Pyrrha clapped her hands on her mouth, stifling her laughter.

Gwyn brushed off his robes and then looked up at the ruined parachutes. For a moment, they blurred out of focus, and then the torn fabric vanished, as if they never existed. With that done, he pocketed his utility kit, having been restored to its former shape, and turned his attention back to the red-haired girl.

"I suppose this means we're partners, Ms. Nikos." Gwyn started to offer his right hand before remembering that he still had his gun. He frowned in concentration, and it turned back to a sphere, which he switched to his left hand. With that done, he held out his right hand to Pyrrha. "It's a pleasure."

Pyrrha shook Gwyn's hand and gave him an amused smile. "Must you be so formal, Mr. Adams?"

Gwyn gave her a serious nod. "I'm a professional. It's what we do."

The red-head sighed and released her hand. "Well professional or not, I'd prefer it if you called me Pyrrha, Gwyn."

Gwyn nodded. "I understand. Now." He tilted his head to the side. "Is there a reason why your spear is missing?"

"Well, Jaune didn't look like he had a plan..."

* * *

Edited 2/5/14


	5. Heroics

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

Gwyn and Pyrrha decided to check on the unprepared blonde and make sure he hadn't suffered any unfortunate incidents. Their trek through the woods went without incident, and they soon arrived at the forest clearing where Jaune ended his fall.

"Why hello there, Mr. Arc." Gwyn tilted his head up, a small smile on his face. "I don't believe it's a very good idea to be hanging about in this area of the woods."

The blonde sighed. "Har har. Laugh at the loser, why don't you?"

Jaune hung ten feet above the ground, pinned by his hood to a large oak tree. Pyrrha's spear kept him from falling, but also from safely getting off the tree.

He crossed his arms and looked to the side, irked, though he cast a few glances at Pyrrha.

"I'm glad you're safe, Jaune." Pyrrha gave the blonde a relieved smile and walked towards the tree. "Here, let me help you down."

Gwyn watched his partner help Jaune and frowned. _Didn't he have a landing strategy in mind? _He shook his head. _It's strange. That's among the first thing they teach you in basic Huntsman training, no matter where you were taught._

Pyrrha managed to free Jaune and he fell to the ground in a heap. "Thanks Pyrrha." Jaune let out a relieved sigh and brushed himself off. "Don't know what would have happened if you didn't save me."

"It's no trouble, Jaune. I'm glad to help." Pyrrha sheathed her weapon and placed it on her back. With that done, she gave the blonde a long look and then sighed. "Well, good luck out there."

Gwyn watched their brief exchange and made a decision. In part because of the saddened look his new partner had, and in part because Gwyn was curious about the blonde, he said, "Mr. Arc. How would you like to come with us?"

""Eh?""

Both Pyrrha and Jaune spun to look at Gwyn. The former looked relieved, while the latter looked stunned.

Gwyn smiled and stepped forward, offering Jaune a hand. "I understand that this examination is meant to be pairs only, yet I'd like to try and fight by your side. What do you say?"

"Well..." Jaune gave Gwyn a look of suspicion, but when he saw Pyrrha's eager face, he sighed and shook the offered hand. "I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Welcome aboard Jaune!" Pyrrha's bright smile lifted Jaune's dampened spirits, and he couldn't help but smile as well.

"Ehe... glad to be here."

Of course, there would be no such thing as a peaceful encounter in the Emerald Forest. After Jaune spoke, there was the sound of rustling leaves and a menacing growl.

Gwyn glanced around at his surroundings, analyzing the situation.

The immediate area was spacious with flat ground. Towering trees dotted the terrain past the edges of the clearing, with bushes obscuring the area closest to the ground. A perfect hiding spot for Grimm.

He shifted Grail Sanctum to its magnum form once again and raised it at the pair of glowing red eyes peering from the bushes. "Well Mr. Arc. Looks like you'll have your chance sooner rather than later."

Pyrrha readied her spear and shield, moving to Gwyn's left.

The blonde looked at the two, confused. "Um... what?"

Gwyn turned his head back to Jaune. "I'm counting on you to guard my right. Don't let me down." With that said, he turned to the front. "It comes!"

A massive black beast burst through the brush, rising to its full height. A gray mask with red markings covered its head, while spikes and gray plated armor covered its back and joints. With malice in its eyes, the Grimm let out a menacing roar, glaring at the three humans in its way.

_Ursa Major. _Gwyn examined their foe, running through the information he had on the Grimm. _The greatest danger will be its massive bulk and strength. That will be its downfall._

The bear Grimm rushed forward, right paw raised for a decapitating strike.

"Pyrrha."

"Got it!" The red-head moved to meet the Ursa's charge, shield raised. There was a heavy crash as the attack was stopped by Pyrrha's shield, monstrous strength forced back by the red-head's unwavering defense.

In the gap between the Ursa's next attack, Gwyn acted.

_Offensive behavior from the Grimm. Its target will be our necks, or to grab and bite. Powerful neck muscles and shoulders make it deadly. _

_But strength from mass is double-edged._

Gwyn's image blurred as he activated his Aura to obtain the speed necessary to do what he planned. Dashing forward to a point-blank range, his silver magnum flared, once, twice, thrice. Crimson bursts of energy, consecutive strikes, struck the Grimm under its massive neck and on both sides of its broad chest.

The sudden barrage whipped the bear's head up with an audible crack, and sent it scrambling backwards.

That wasn't enough to kill it.

The Ursa Major roared in pain, stumbling to stay upright. Gwyn's attack had knocked it off balance, but the Grimm hadn't been wounded, only slight singe marks showing for the brunette's efforts.

As a gun, Grail Sanctum was not meant for offense. Its rounds served as nothing more than concussive blasts to maneuver on, or control the terrain. Against the Grimm, a creature whose durability surpassed any ordinary animal, regardless of their similarities, Gwyn couldn't even graze it with his gun.

But he could force it back.

Gwyn retreated and shouted to the blonde. "Jaune! Shield up and strike it before it regains its balance! Ankles, wrists and thighs!"

The blonde gave Gwyn a hesitant nod and rushed forward, despite his evident fear.

"Pyrrha, the eyes!"

She nodded and launched her spear at the Ursa's eyes. The crimson and bronze weapon embedded itself in the bear's right eye, a spurt of dark blood rising from the wound after striking true.

The enraged Grimm swiped its right paw out in a blind rage, the limb racing towards the advancing blonde.

For a moment, Gwyn thought Jaune was finished. His movements were too clumsy and wasteful for him to evade the strike. Yet, at the last moment, Jaune managed to raise his shield to block the attack. He turned with the force and then slashed down at the outstretched paw, tearing through it with ease.

Spurred on by his success, Jaune stepped forward and lashed out at the bear's other arm. "Take that, you foul beast!"

There was a fleshy thump as the monstrous black limb fell to the ground, severed at the elbow.

_Well,_ Gwyn thought as he looked at the blonde. _It seems that, despite his awkwardness and shortcomings, Mr. Arc knows how to fight._

The Grimm roared, but the ferocity in it was gone. This was one of pain and fear rather than intimidation.

Gwyn decided to put the Grimm out of its misery and raised his magnum. A flare of crimson burst from the gun, and Pyrrha's spear exited the Ursa's skull on the other end, drilling a hole through the Grimm's head as it stabbed into a tree behind it.

He returned Grail Sanctum back to its sphere form, shifting it to his left hand, and stepped forward to congratulate his comrades.

"That was amazing Jaune!" Pyrrha clasped her hands and gave Jaune a wide smile.

"Ehe, well." The blonde rubbed the back of his head with his sword pommel. "I try my best."

"I can see that, Mr. Arc." Gwyn offered the blonde his right hand. "You did well, despite your clumsy movements."

Jaune sheathed his sword and shield, then accepted Gwyn's offered hand. "Thanks um..." The blonde gave him a nervous smile. "What was your name again?"

The brunette shook his head, amused, before replying, "Gwyn Adams, Mr. Arc. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Jaune broke the handshake and nodded. "Right. Same here but... will you stop with the 'Mr. Arc'? Just Jaune is fine."

"As you wish, Jaune." Gwyn gave him a small bow. "Now, it's best to get on our way. I doubt that our short scuffle went unnoticed."

Gwyn turned to look at the surroundings. There didn't seem to be any more Grimm hiding in the bushes, but one could never be sure of that. Pyrrha retrieved her spear and changed it into blade form while Jaune waited for the two, the blonde casting subtle glances back to Pyrrha now and then.

"Ready?" Receiving a pair of nods as his response, Gwyn started walking off. "Then let's go."

* * *

Gwyn kept a sharp eye out as he lead the party of three. He scanned the terrain for enemies, but all he saw were trees, bushes, and more trees. A welcome sight, despite the lack of activity. Behind the top Signal graduate, his comrades were engaged in conversation.

"Something's been bothering me Jaune," Pyrrha said. "You did great back there, but why didn't you activate your Aura?"

_I had been wondering that as well._ Intrigued, Gwyn tilted his head to hear them better.

"Uh... Aura?"

Gwyn stumbled, turning towards Jaune with an incredulous look. "Mr. Arc. Do you mean to tell me that you actually charged into melee with the Ursa without even knowing what Aura is?"

The blonde froze under Gwyn's intense gaze. "Uh... No! I mean, yes! Wait..."

Pyrrha placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Jaune? Did you really?" Her green eyes were filled with concern, and a slight bit of anger, but mostly awed surprise.

"Uh..."

Gwyn shook his head. _I thought he didn't have formal training but this is absurd. He's got nerves of steel though, and incredible will if he fought knowing a single mistake would cost his life. _"Incredible, Mr. Arc. I have to say, you've gained my respect."

The blonde relaxed, letting out a smile at Gwyn's praise. "Thanks man-"

Gwyn raised a hand, cutting Jaune off. "However, I won't have one as brave as you die because of a gap in education. Pyrrha."

The red-head nodded. "What is it Gwyn?"

"Take a moment and inform Mr. Arc of Aura, will you?" He frowned. "I would do it myself, but my Aura is not the most... suitable to do so."

Pyrrha gave him a strange look, as if saying that they would discuss it later, but nodded and turned to the blonde. "Well, Jaune. Aura is..."

Leaving his partner to take care of the situation, Gwyn pocketed Grail Sanctum and took out his scroll from his robes. After taking one last look around the immediate vicinity to check that there were no dangers (there weren't), Gwyn leaned against a tree and opened the data device.

A holographic display came into sight from between the halves of the white rod, showing a window with various icons. Gwyn tapped the display a few times, and it came to a screen with a picture of him, a bar underneath representing his Aura.

It was a strange sight to see. The display couldn't decide on a set value for this Aura and the bar wavered back and forth along both ends. The trend, however, seemed to be for the bar to be close to half-way empty on either side.

"...Half depleted." Gwyn shook his head and closed the device, letting out a sigh. "Still leaking too much when I use it."

"Whoa!"

Gwyn turned around at the sudden exclamation.

Jaune shone with a bright, white light, and held up his hands in front of his face. He looked at them with a sense of amazement, which only validated Gwyn's doubts about the blonde's training. _No formal training at all then. Judging from the intensity of his Aura, however, and his actions, Mr. Arc has potential. Quite a lot._

Pyrrha turned towards Gwyn and gave him a weary smile. "It's done."

"Very well." Gwyn replaced his scroll in his robes and withdrew Grail Sanctum once more. "Shall we be off?"

The three continued on their journey. This time, Gwyn decided to let Jaune take the lead, as the blonde had the most capability to defend from a frontal attack with his awakened Aura, and so that he could continue to gauge the blonde's potential.

So far, he had seen that the blonde was an able fighter, though not too skilled, kept a level head in combat and, from the look of it, had a decent capacity as a leader as well.

The blonde may not have been Gwyn's partner, but the top Signal graduate would do everything in his power to make sure Jaune got a place as a team leader. He had too much potential as a huntsman for Gwyn to do anything else.

They came to a cave in the side of the cliff with ancient etchings on the rock outside the entrance. The drawings looked to be depicting a scene of conflict between warriors and a scorpion.

Jaune turned back to his comrades and said, "Think this is it?"

"Hm." Gwyn leaned in to examine the etchings. "It might be. The meaning of the etchings is a clear warning of a monster, and the headmaster did say that we would need to destroy everything in our path..." Gwyn looked up. "We might as well take a look."

Jaune fashioned a torch out of nearby wood and led them into the dark cave.

"...Are you sure this is the right way?" Pyrrha spoke with uncertainty, looking around the stone walls with unease. "It doesn't seem like it. Headmaster Ozpin said we would find the relics at a temple."

Jaune turned around, a look of irritation on his face. "Hey, temples can be in caves too. Are you doubting my leadership skills?"

"No." Pyrrha shook her head. "It's not that. I just-"

Whatever words she was planning to say were withheld as Jaune tripped over a rock, dropping the torch and plunging the group into darkness.

"...Well that was unfortunate." Gwyn sighed and looked around. "Pitch black."

"Can't you do something about that, Gwyn?" Pyrrha asked. "Perhaps turn Grail Sanctum into that glowing crimson gun?"

Gwyn started to shake his head, but then remembered that they wouldn't be able to see it. "I would, Pyrrha. Unfortunately, that's a side-effect from my weapon storing energy and I doubt either of you would want to experience a cave-in when I have to release it."

"Ehehe..." Jaune let out a nervous laugh. "I'm good."

"Oh. So there's a limit to your powers after all, Gwyn?" Pyrrha asked.

"Of course. But that's a conversation for later. If you would lead the way, Jaune?"

The blonde huffed in pride. "Leave it to me! Captain Jaune's on the job!"

_Note. While capable, Mr. Arc is still prone to fits of immaturity..._

* * *

After more walking, the group came to a glowing golden object, hovering in mid-air. The dim light was better than the pitch darkness they were in earlier, and allowed the members of the group to see each other.

Jaune turned around, a proud smile on his face. "What did I tell you? See, there's the relic!"

"Jaune," Pyrrha said. "I don't think that's the relic."

"Nonsense!" The blonde waved off Pyrrha's concerns. "There were those drawings, remember? This place is obviously the temple we're looking for." He turned back towards the golden object and tried to grab it. "C'mere relic!"

"Mr. Arc." Gwyn palmed his sphere. "Retreat immediately."

The blonde ignored Gwyn's warning and stepped forward, still reaching at the relic. He missed a few times, and then managed to grab it on his third. "Gotcha!"

It was one of those moments where Gwyn _knew_ danger was imminent, a result of instincts obtained from countless battles and wounds. "Pyrrha. Get ready to run."

"What?" Confused emerald eyes stared at him. "But Jaune-"

The danger revealed itself. Ominous red markings glowing from beneath the golden object traced out the silhouette of an enormous scorpion.

"That explains the drawings," Gwyn muttered.

_Hsssss._

"Run. Now." Gwyn turned and ran without looking back, trusting Jaune to keep a firm grip on the scorpion's tail.

He and Pyrrha ran side by side in a mad dash down the tunnel back to its entrance, the scorpion close on their heels. Somehow, they managed to escape, stepping out into the open clearing where they had entered. A few seconds later, the scorpion emerged, accompanied by Jaune's screams of terror.

"A Death Stalker." Gwyn reformed his gun, once again glowing crimson.

"Pyrrha, Gwyn. DO SOMETHING!" The panicked blonde hung on for dear life, but it looked like he was fighting a losing battle with the large Grimm.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, more concerned for the blonde's safety than the immediate danger. "Don't let-"

A fact made moot when the Death Stalker whipped its tail, sending the unfortunate blonde flying off into the distance.

"...Go." Pyrrha sighed and turned to Gwyn. "What's the plan?"

"Find Jaune." Gwyn tensed, ready to act at a moment's notice. "I'll distract it."

The Death Stalker growled and began to advance.

"Um... are you sure you can do that?" Pyrrha gave Gwyn a searching look. "Not that I don't trust you or anything but-"

"Go." With only that as a warning, Gwyn sent a brief barrage of crimson shots at the scorpion's many legs. As expected, they didn't damage the Grimm, but managed to send it scuttling backwards for a brief moment.

A blur of movement and a slight breeze from his side signaled that Pyrrha had gone.

"Now to fulfill my role." Gwyn fired a few more shots at the Death Stalker, then started a running retreat through the woods.

* * *

Oaks, maples, and other majestic trees stood as the proud denizens of Emerald Forest. These had been in the area for generations, growing until they reached their towering heights in the present. Elegant branches, wide enough to stand on with no fear of falling. Massive trunks, wider than a man's torso. Thick roots, entrenched deep in the earth.

They fell in droves as the Death Stalker pursued Gwyn.

A flurry of crimson struck the scorpion, stalling it for precious seconds.

Gwyn leapt through the forest, hopping from tree branch to tree branch in a zigzag. The Death Stalker roared and shot off in pursuit, but it was in the opposite direction Gwyn leapt.

He let out a breath and leaned against a tree to rest.

"Persistent, that Grimm is." Gwyn winced and looked at his gun. The form was unchanged, still as pristine as ever. However, the continuous barrage he had used since starting his retreat had rendered the barrel white hot, distorting the air around wherever the metal moved. "Not going to be able to keep this up much longer."

The Death Stalker roared and then spun around, realizing that its prey was in the other direction.

The brunette reverted his gun back to its sphere form and pocketed it, then looked up at the sun. "That should be enough time."

He activated his Aura, his form blurring to any that looked at him, and set off at a blistering pace in the direction Pyrrha had left. As he did, he thought he heard a male scream behind him but, as the Death Stalker never stopped pursuing him, wrote it off as unimportant.

The trees thinned as he made his way through the maze of brown and green until the forest opened up, revealing a ruined stone structure in the distance, as well as some of the other Beacon candidates Gwyn had seen earlier in the launch.

The Death Stalker continued its advance, turning all of the trees behind Gwyn into sawdust, but he had a brief moment to rest before it reached him. He used that time to analyze the situation.

_Ruby, Yang, the bubbly girl, and the Eastern young man to my right during the launch, as well as the black haired girl I met on the first day._ Those were all the individuals at the ruins.

_And directly across from me on the other side of this forest, Pyrrha and Jaune._

He sighed in relief as none of them seemed injured, though Jaune was a bit disheveled.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THIS?!"

The scream drew Gwyn's eyes, and he almost fell of his branch when he saw the Schnee heiress dangling from a massive raven in the sky.

If you asked him later why he did what he did, Gwyn wouldn't be able to tell you. It was stupid. It was wasteful. It went against everything he stood for in terms of combat and professionalism. Yet, when he saw that white-haired girl falling from the sky, fear of death clear on her face, he couldn't help it.

Throwing away any thoughts of his dwindling Aura, of the danger involved in overusing his unmastered Semblance, and the exhaustion already sinking in his bones as he forced his body to act beyond its natural limits, Gwyn tore past the trees, ground, and air to save the falling heiress.

* * *

She was falling.

Weiss closed her eyes, mouth open in a silent scream.

She was falling. That was the only thought she had. She was falling, and even though she should be able to stop her descent with her Semblance, even though she was trained on how to react in these types of situations, she couldn't.

_Is this what he meant?_

She had prepared for this. She had decided to become a huntress, trained for months and years to prepare and be accepted into Beacon. Despite that, in a situation where she was more than capable of surviving, she couldn't act. Even the thought of activating her Aura didn't cross her mind.

_Maybe he was right._

She was going to die. Abandoned by her partner, paralyzed by fear, and without even a chance to say goodbye.

_Ah._ A stray thought crossed her mind. _I never apologized for slapping him._

It was a slight that she wasn't going to be able to remedy. _Gwyn Adams... ranked number one in the graduating Signal class. _His face flashed into her mind, that plastic smile, dull eyes, and pale skin. She had thought him a monster, but...

_I wasn't ready. _It was a hard truth to swallow, but there it was. _And now I'll die because I wasn't._

She accepted her fate. A mistake, and a fatal one.

Her last.

The sound of rippling air, of distortions.

The scent of blood, and then Weiss was slowing down, held by firm arms.

"Worry not, Ms. Schnee. I've got you."

Weiss opened her eyes and gasped. Staring down at her was the same person she had been thinking of, the one who said he wouldn't accept her.

"Gwyn Adams? You-?"

And then she realized that his eyes weren't only just the color of blood. Where tears would run down one's cheeks, his eyes ran crimson.

Weiss stiffened. "Your eyes...? Blood?"

Gwyn didn't answer. With obvious strain, he stared at the ground, and then began running across the air towards the other Beacon candidates at a breakneck pace.

The Schnee heiress looked wide-eyed at the ground. "How are you doing this?"

Again, the brown-haired young man didn't answer. Eyes still focused on the ground, he continued moving, running down a set of stairs available only to him.

Around that time, Weiss realized that her fear had gone and her normal state of mind returned. With a start, she realized that she was being cradled in the arms of the same person she had slapped just the other day. She flushed a deep red. "You... you didn't have to save me you know? I would have been fine!"

"...Sorry."

The non-sequitur caught her off-guard and she looked back up at Gwyn. The brunette appeared just as he had to her the other day, skin as pale as a corpse, dull eyes the color of blood, and a plastic expression. It should have been terrifying.

Yet, she could see the strain he was undergoing to keep whatever he was doing up. The blood vessels in his eyes had burst, which was what caused the crimson tears. Veins on either side of his temple throbbed, clearly undergoing tremendous pressure. His breath was ragged and his body shook with every step.

Despite that, he held a firm grasp on Weiss, preventing her from flying and falling to her death.

"I was wrong. You have your reasons for being a huntress, as I have mine." They reached the ground and Gwyn gently set the heiress down. "It was wrong of me to assume you hadn't faced hardships, and for that I apologize."

Weiss gave him a strange look, a myriad of emotions running through her. "You... apologize?"

"Gwyn!"

The Schnee heiress was startled, forgetting that there were others around.

"Weiss!"

The heiress didn't have time to dwell as a new problem presented itself. Ruby barreled into her side, wrapping her in a fierce hug. "I'm sorry! I thought you'd come right after me! I didn't mean to leave you behind, you know? I mean..."

Weiss sighed as her partner rambled on as she was prone to do. _At least that's the same._

* * *

Gwyn staggered, coughing into his hand. Flecks of blood sprayed, staining his pale skin crimson. His eyes widened at the sight. The blood he was used to, but if his skin was pale... _It broke. That's... unfortunate._

Jaune and Pyrrha ran up to him, both with concern on their face.

"Hey man," Jaune said. "Are you alright? You _really_ don't look too good."

Pyrrha nodded. "I would have to agree. Your countenance and... is that blood? From your eyes?!"

Gwyn waved off their concerns. "Give me a moment. Just overtaxed myself a bit."

"A bit?" Jaune shook his head. "You look like you died and came back a vampire!"

Gwyn straightened, ignoring the throbbing pain in his heart, chest, and head. "I'll be fine. I'm used to it, besides."

He turned to face the Death Stalker that was charging towards them with the Nevermore flying above it, wings ready to launch its quills. "We have more important problems at hand."

* * *

A/N: Well, this was difficult to write. Anyway, we finally see Gwyn in action here. No sword yet, but his abilities are showcased.

Jaune gets his day in the lime-light! He's already talented, just needs a little push, something I let Gwyn give him here.

We also see a bit more of how Gwyn thinks, as well as how far he'll go to right a wrong (namely push himself way past his healthy limits to save Weiss)

As for Weiss herself, well she didn't use her Semblance to save herself in the show, so I'm extrapolating her thoughts from that.

Hope you enjoyed reading, and leave a review if you've anything to say, whether it be praise, questions, comments, or critiques.

Thanks for reading, and until the next.

Edited: 2/5/14


	6. Teams GNVR, RWBY, and Justice

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

The Nevermore hung in the air above, gliding towards the group of Beacon candidates with wings outstretched. The Death Stalker rampaged across the grass, claws and stinger poised to attack.

Gwyn and the others were at the abandoned temple, relics around them. Behind the temple were the ruins: stone pillars and bridges hanging over a sheer drop into opaque, white fog that hid the true depths of the valley.

The brunette evaluated his status. _Body on the verge of collapse. Aura diverted to healing. Grail Sanctum charged to max from use, mass critical. _Gwyn grimaced. Their situation wasn't good.

The Nevermore and Death Stalker were gaining, and there were seconds before they made contact. Retreat was possible, but at the speed both Grimms moved, a confrontation was inevitable. And confronting both Grimms in the ruins, where the Nevermore had free reign of the skies and their own mobility was limited, was not something Gwyn wanted to consider.

"Guys?" Ruby's nervous voice cut through the tense silence. "That thing's about to attack. Any ideas?" The younger Beacon candidate turned to the others.

Weiss crossed her arms and shook her head at her partner. "Isn't it obvious? There's no need to dilly-dally. We have what we came for." The heiress pointed to the relics behind her.

"Indeed." The black-haired girl with a bow nodded. "Shall we leave?"

"No." Gwyn shook his head and turned to look at the others.

Yang and Ruby were shocked at Gwyn's drastic change in appearance, as were the others, though to a lesser degree.

Weiss flushed, realizing that Gwyn wasn't in any shape to run. "Oh. Right."

Gwyn sighed at their reactions, but focused on the situation. "Thank you for your concern, Ms. Schnee, but I am not the reason why retreat is a bad option." He palmed Grail Sanctum, a plan starting to form in his mind. "At the speeds both Grimm are moving, battle is inevitable. We might be able to escape them in the ruins, but we would be under a running retreat the entire time, as well as giving the advantage to the Nevermore."

The Schnee heiress scoffed at Gwyn's analysis. "And what do you propose we do? Fight?"

"Yes."

Weiss crossed her arms, about to reprimand the reckless Signal graduate, even if he saved her life, when Ruby spoke up. "You know, he's got a point."

Yang cocked her gauntlets, gold shells falling to the ground. "Yep. Might as well take'em out while we can."

Seeing the others begin to ready their weapons, the Schnee heiress sighed and drew her rapier. "This is ridiculous."

The Eastern young man sighed and raised his green submachine guns. "In for a penny... Nora."

The bubbly girl nodded at her partner and raised her hammer. "I've gotcha Ren!"

Gwyn raised Grail Sanctum, once again in its sphere form. Crimson energy pulsed from the silver sphere, giving it an ominous presence. "...Hey Jaune."

The blonde turned to Gwyn, his sword and shield drawn and at the ready. He appeared nervous, but there was a hint of steel there, ready to do whatever was needed. "What is it Gwyn?"

Gwyn smiled, though it looked eerie on his pale face. "Ready to be a hero?"

"Huh?"

Seeing that everyone was armed and ready, Gwyn cocked his arm back, aiming at the spot between both Grimms. Before he acted, he cocked his head towards Pyrrha. "Hey, could you make a magnetic field to prevent shrapnel from piercing us?"

The red-head nodded, though looked confused at Gwyn's request. "I should be able to, but why-"

"Do it now."

The other students had been listening to Gwyn's words, and waited for him to set his plan in action.

The air shimmered as Pyrrha did what Gwyn asked.

"Alright." Gwyn addressed the others. "I'm going to weaken the scorpion and knock the bird out of the sky."

Silence was his response, the others tensed to act at a moment's notice.

He continued. "It should be obvious that I'm in no shape to continue fighting. The rest will be up to you. Everyone, good luck."

"You can count on us, Gwyn!" The encouragement came from Ruby, who gave him a thumbs up.

"Don't worry man." Jaune stepped up and moved to Gwyn's right. "I've got your back."

Gwyn gave him an absent nod and concentrated as much Aura as he could into Grail Sanctum, focusing on the form he wanted it to take.

_Metal spikes. Three feet long, two inches in diameter. _Gwyn's breathing hitched, pain starting up again as he strained to keep that mental image in mind. _Neglect... mass. _He ground his teeth and tossed the sphere, which had turned a blistering white hot.

The moment it reached the mid-point between both Grimms, Gwyn activated it. _Now._

A flurry of steel and a vivid burst of dark red energy, the color of blood.

The Nevermore cried in pain as its wings were shredded, preempting its volley of quills. Black bursts of blood rained from the sky as the enormous raven spiraled back to the ground.

The Death Stalker faired better, the light metal spikes not piercing its plated armor due to a lack of mass, despite the blinding velocity they had shot out with.

That wasn't to say it went unscathed.

Where the metal had struck, cracks rippled out. A weakness in the otherwise impenetrable armor.

As for the group of Beacon candidates, they were startled at the sight of wicked sharp metal spikes materializing in the air.

"Whoa... Gwyn," Yang said. Her voice was awed. "That's pretty scary."

"Scary?" Ruby ran up to Gwyn. "That. Was. AWESOME!" The younger Beacon student's eyes were shining, forgetting about the danger they were in for the moment. "You've gotta tell me how you did that!"

"Ruby!" Weiss snapped. "Hello? Death Stalker and Nevermore?"

The girl winced, and then rubbed the back of her head. "Er... right. Let's go everyone!"

Pyrrha lowered her field, letting the metal spikes clatter to the ground. That was their cue, and the others rushed off into combat.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang broke off towards the Nevermore, the first two with a personal grudge against it and the latter two with an amused air at the other pair.

Nora and Ren ran towards the Death Stalker, guns blazing as they made first contact.

Gwyn staggered, the growing pain starting to reach even his high tolerance for it. His image wavered as the remaining Aura he had flared in its attempt to heal Gwyn from the considerable damage he had inflicted on himself.

Pyrrha lowered her hands, now that the field was unnecessary, and turned towards Gwyn, a warm smile on her face. "Relax. You did well, Gwyn." She gently patted his shoulder and then turned to Jaune, who had been stunned into silence at the violent outburst of steel.

Pyrrha sighed and grabbed the blonde's hand. "Come on Jaune. We've got work to do."

The contact broke Jaune out of his stupor and the blonde nodded. "Right!" He raised his sword and shield and dashed off, forgetting about Pyrrha in the rush. "You're going down, Death Stalker!"

The red-head shook her head and followed, but not before giving Gwyn one final concerned look. "Will you be alright?"

The brunette waved off her concerns. "Go. Deal with the enemy before worrying about your teammates."

Pyrrha gave Gwyn a hesitant nod. "...If you say so." And with that, she ran after Jaune, her spear changed to a sword for the inevitable melee.

Gwyn ground his teeth and forced his way to the chess pieces. _Still need that relic._ He grabbed the closest one he could, a golden rook, and then sagged against its pedestal.

Even the simple act of relaxing wracked his body with pain. Gwyn closed his eyes for a brief moment and steadied his breathing, knowing that his current ragged breathing would only inflict more damage in the long run.

_...Ms. Schnee had better appreciate the effort I put in to save her. _

The feeling of warm metal in his pocket signaled that Grail Sanctum had reformed, reverting to its original shape.

Gwyn let out a controlled sigh and looked at the battles occurring between the Grimms and the Beacon students.

Ruby took the lead in the fight against the Nevermore. Despite the oversized raven's clipped wings, it was proving to be a stubborn opponent as its bulk and wide wing span were not to be underestimated. The sheer size to be overcome was troublesome, as carelessness would send an attacker flying, or squash them.

Yet, as dangerous as the Nevermore was, it was outmatched. Ruby's incredible speed forced the Nevermore to crane its head and find the small blur that was slowly cutting it apart, distracting it. The bird couldn't split its focus, and Ruby's efforts left the other girls free to attack.

Yang pummeled the bird with flaming fists and feet, launching a high-speed barrage of punches and kicks. It left the bird battered and singed, though wasn't proving too effective.

The black-haired girl had somehow created clones of herself and were cutting the bird apart with her blade, though the wounds were shallow.

Weiss was the one dealing the most damage. With her rapier, she sent waves of fire and ice at the bird, which offered an opportunity for the others to add on damage by following with their own attacks, launching herself through the air with glyphs to add momentum to her strikes.

Seeing that, Gwyn let out an internal sigh._ If she could do that, why didn't she use it earlier?_ The brunette berated himself for his pointless heroics, and then looked to the others.

The Death Stalker appeared to be slowed by the damage inflicted on it. Despite remaining intact, the cracks in its armor limited its mobility, something that its opponents took advantage of.

Nora giggled and hammered away at the scorpion with her weapon, deepening the cracks in its armor.

Ren kept to ranged combat, providing covering fire whenever the scorpion made to strike with its tail.

And then there was Pyrrha and Jaune.

Both were working with remarkable synergy, striking at the Death Stalker's cracks and cutting deep wounds into the Grimm. Gwyn noted with surprise that Jaune was taking the lead.

"Nora! Hammer it!" The blonde leapt out of the way of the Death Stalker's stinger. "Ren, shoot for the eyes!"

A roar of pain from the Death Stalker sounded out as it was sprayed with heavy fire from the Eastern young man. The Death Stalker moved its claws to block, only for them to be smashed to bits as Nora fell from the sky, hammer swinging down with the force of a falling star.

"Pyrrha, now!"

"Got it!"

The pair dashed forward, both swords raised to strike.

""Hah!""

With seamless coordination, the two stabbed the Death Stalker's eyes.

But they weren't done.

Finding purchase at last in the scorpion's armor, the pair kept moving, tearing their blades throughout the length of the scorpion's body as they ran across its back, gouging deep wounds into it.

The Death Stalker made one final attempt to defend itself and sent its stinger slamming down. Of course, because it was weak, wounded, and on the verge of death, the clumsy attack only landed in its own armor, inflicting the fatal wound with its own weapon.

A moment later, there was a loud thump as the Nevermore's head flew to the ground, launched by a furious uppercut from Yang.

_Good._ Gwyn let out a calm smile at the sight of their victory. _Now I can truly rest._

And then he knew no more.

* * *

Gwyn stirred, grimacing at his creaking bones and aching muscles. _Well... it doesn't seem like I'll be much use in combat for a while._

Looking around his surroundings, Gwyn noted that he was in Beacon's infirmary. He sighed, realizing that one of the others would have had to carry his unconscious body back to the cliffs. _A moment of weakness brought about by a moment of impulse. Never again._ Reinforcing that oath in his mind, he sat up and took a closer look at his surroundings.

The room was a plain and sterile white color. A window looked out at the school ground and, from the view of the central plaza, told him that he wasn't far from the main hall. It was still bright out, so it appeared he hadn't spent much time apart from the waking world.

A door stood on the opposite of Gwyn's position, leading out to the halls and the main building.

Gwyn lay on a firm mattress, raised to ease his breathing when he was unconscious. But other than a bed stand to his immediate right and the bed, the room was barren.

The door opened and Ozpin walked in, a cup of coffee in his left hand. "Oh?" He stepped into the room, a mild look of surprise on his face. "I'm surprised to see you up already, Mr. Adams. How remarkable."

Gwyn shrugged, suppressing his urge to wince at the sudden stab of pain caused by the action. "I would not be where I am today if something like that kept me down, Headmaster."

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee and then closed the door behind him, leaning against it. "Yes, Qrow did tell me of your exploits. But even then, waking from an absolute expenditure of Aura within an hour is quite remarkable, no matter how many times I've heard about it happening."

Gwyn tensed at the mention of Qrow's name. "...And what exactly has Qrow told you about me, Headmaster?"

Ozpin smiled and waved his coffee cup. "Oh, nothing much. Your tendency to train until you drop half-dead, your fluctuating Aura, your Semblance..."

The brunette suppressed a wince at the mention of that, but let Ozpin continue.

"...and your competency in combat as well as mission history. It's ever so impressive to have someone with such an extensive... record of take downs at such a young age." Ozpin took another sip of his coffee, a small smile on his face.

"I see." Gwyn stared at the headmaster, gauging his emotions. _Hm. Completely calm._ "And knowing that, you let me into Beacon?"

The headmaster shrugged. "Your competence speaks for itself, despite your... questionable background. And any doubt I had vanished when you saved Ms. Schnee at the severe cost to yourself."

Gwyn cringed and avoided the headmaster's intense gaze. "It was a foolish impulse. It won't happen again."

"Oh?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "So you say you wouldn't save Ms. Schnee if her life was on the line again?"

Gwyn scowled and got out of the bed, refusing to let the headmaster talk down to him any longer. He tossed his sheets back on the bed and glared at Ozpin. "Of course I would! But the 'heiress' never needed my help. All I did was expend unnecessary energy to save someone who didn't need saving."

"She did."

Gwyn gave Ozpin an incredulous look, and then settled on cool indifference. "Of course she did. The Schnee Heiress, a person whose Semblance allows her to create glyphs manipulating physics, needed my help to prevent her falling from death. Pardon me if I find that hard to believe, Headmaster."

At that, the headmaster's expression turned serious. "Do not be mistaken, Mr. Adams. Had you not intervened, Ms Schnee truly would have fallen to her death." Ozpin shook his head, slight exasperation evident. "Ms. Schnee had yet to comprehend the true dangers of being a huntress until that moment and was paralyzed by fear. Do not doubt, her death _was_ imminent."

Gwyn was abashed, and looked away. "...I see."

"I am glad that you do, Mr. Adams."

There was a brief silence before Ozpin spoke again. "But onto other matters. I would like to know why you decided to bring Mr. Arc along with you. I thought I had made it clear the initiation was to be performed in pairs."

Gwyn nodded, realizing the opportunity for Jaune this offered. "Mr. Arc has potential. I wished to see how he reacted to situations and gauge his worth to Beacon."

Ozpin looked amused at Gwyn's response. "So, you believe that you are a better judge of potential than I, Mr. Adams?"

"Well, it appeared so at first." Gwyn frowned. "But from your response, you already knew about him, didn't you?"

"Indeed." Ozpin sipped his coffee. "Mr. Arc performed admirably, as I predicted he would. More than enough to lead a team, I feel." The headmaster gave a pointed look at Gwyn. "...Though your actions leave me in quite a predicament. Truthfully, there has never been an instance where three capable members partnered for the initiation. It leaves me in quite a quandary, as you might imagine."

Gwyn sighed, realizing where the conversation was heading. "Of course. You can let Jaune take my place. He would be a better leader than I, in any case."

Ozpin grinned, waving off Gwyn's words. "Oh, no. You are quite a capable leader, Mr. Adams. That tactic in particular with your weapon was quite spectacular, despite leaving you incapable of combat afterward. What I'm referring to is the fact that, while I would like to create a five-member team, it just isn't done."

The headmaster rolled up his sleeve and checked a wristwatch. "...But enough of my prattle. It's almost time for the awards ceremony." Ozpin drained the rest of his coffee and turned around. "Follow me, Mr. Adams. I'm sure your friends have been anxious. Especially after I told them how you tore yourself apart to protect Ms. Schnee."

Gwyn grimaced. _The rumors of Ozpin enjoying making his students miserable aren't unfounded it seems._ With the air of a man walking to his death, Gwyn followed the headmaster, moving so as not to exacerbate his injuries.

Ozpin led Gwyn to a hall outside the auditorium.

Yang was the first to notice Ozpin. "Headmaster!" she exclaimed. "Is Gwyn... huh?" She was surprised as she saw Gwyn trailing behind the headmaster. Yang frowned and pointed at the brunette. "You shouldn't be walking around yet!"

Gwyn forced a grin on his face and looked around at the others present. Like in the fight, the eight beacon candidates had arranged themselves into groups of four.

Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and the black-haired girl Gwyn met stood off to the left side of the room, while Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora stood off to the right of the room.

Gwyn waved off her concerns. "I'm fine, Yang."

"Like hell you are!" Yang crossed her arms and glared at him, but the expression softened to a look of worry. "This is just like back at Signal. You really shouldn't push yourself so hard. One of these days, you'll..."

"Um, Yang?" Ruby poked her older sister. "What are you talking about? Gwyn looks fine."

"She's right." The black-haired girl nodded. "He doesn't seem hurt at all."

Ozpin looked on at the interaction with amusement and then excused himself from the group, walking into the auditorium, leaving Gwyn alone to deal with the confused and worried girls (and two guys).

Yang narrowed her eyes. "That's the problem, Blake." She snapped and pointed an accusing finger at Gwyn. "Drop the disguise. It's only going to make things worse."

Weiss perked up at that, a look of understanding on her face. She turned to Gwyn and said, "So... that means that his face back then...?"

Off to the side, Nora whispered to Ren. "Hey, Ren. I don't get it. What does blondie over there mean?"

"Quiet Nora." Ren shushed his friend and paid attention to the confrontation.

"Gwyn?" Pyrrha walked up to the brunette, concern in her emerald eyes. "Is that true?"

Jaune held up his hands. "Hey man, if it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to. I'm sure that we'll understand, right guys?"

Gwyn looked around at his companions, and perhaps friends from what they went through together, with contemplation. "...Very well." He broke the illusion, letting out a sigh in relief as the strain he had felt from maintaining it vanished.

There were gasps as the others took in his appearance. The only ones who didn't were Yang and Weiss, the former already knowing from Qrow and the latter having seen it first-hand.

White skin as pale as a corpse. Crimson eyes, the whites blood-shot from broken blood-vessels. A smile set in an almost plastic expression. Together with his white robes and crimson tunic, it looked like he was a body dressed for a funeral rather than a living person.

"...Are you happy, Yang?" His calm voice caused Ruby to flinch, and the others to take a step back.

"Gwyn? Is that... really you?" Ruby's voice was laced with fear.

Hearing and seeing the fear in his comrades hurt Gwyn more than he let show, but he buried that feeling and relaxed his posture, adopting the confident mask he used in public. "Why, of course it is Ruby. Wickedly scary, aren't I?"

Gwyn was expecting her to agree. He expected the others to react to him with scorn, fear, disgust.

He wasn't expecting sympathy.

A pair of arms wrapped around him, surprising Gwyn. Ruby had crossed the distance and pulled Gwyn into a firm hug. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't left Weiss, you wouldn't-" Her voice hitched, and she pulled him closer. "I'm sorry!"

Gwyn sighed, patting Ruby's back. "It's not your fault. I've been like this for a long time now." He grinned as Ruby looked up at him. "It's what happens when you try too hard, you know?"

"GROUP HUG!"

"Eh?!"

Before Gwyn could protest, Yang wrapped her arms around the two, and her actions were mimicked by the others. Even Weiss, with her need to maintain appearances, participated, though Gwyn noted that she flushed, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Aw." Nora gave Gwyn a bright smile. "It'll be alright Gwyn! Right Ren?"

The young man's response couldn't be heard, head muffled between Nora's chest. "Mmph, mmph!"

Gwyn shook his head, bemused at the group's actions.

"Ahem."

The group turned towards the voice, which turned out to be an amused Glynda Goodwitch. "If you are finished with your... exuberant celebrations, the assigning of teams can begin."

* * *

"Gwyn Adams, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren." The four students were lined up before Ozpin on the front stage, as he spoke. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team..."

Gwyn noticed a smirk on Ozpin's face, wondering why until he realized what the initials on the screen were lining up to. _Ozpin you conniving-_

"...Guinevere, led by Gwyn Adams."

There was applause from the crowd and the new team headed off the stage as the next four took their place. Yang gave Gwyn an impish smile as they passed, something that Gwyn ignored, not deigning to give her a response she'd only use against him at some later point.

_That's what I get for rescuing Ms. Schnee, I suppose. Saving a princess, I'm rewarded with leading a team named after a princess. Wonderful._

They passed Jaune on the way back, who gave them a thumbs up. "Congrats, man!"

Gwyn smiled and took a place next to the blonde. "Thanks, but Team Guinevere? I think Ozpin has it in for me."

Pyrrha chimed in on their conversation. "I think it's a wonderful name."

The brunette shook his head and turned his attention back to the screen in time to see and hear Ozpin announce the next team. "...From this day forward, you will work together as Team Ruby, led by... Ruby Rose."

The four had a brief celebration before making their way off the stage for the next group.

"Lastly," Ozpin began. "Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark."

Gwyn noticed something off._ There's only three... one's missing._

Ozpin turned towards the three young men with a look of sadness in his eyes. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. Unfortunately, Mr. Thrush never made it out of the forest." The headmaster sighed and turned to look at the students. "This is the danger associated with being huntsmen and huntresses, a fact I warned you of before the initiation."

"That's sad." Pyrrha sighed, and Gwyn noticed her brushing away a tear.

"It is." He agreed, but kept an eye on Ozpin. _What are you planning, Headmaster? Is this what you were talking about?_

"While three man teams are not unprecedented, as it is inevitable that some may perish in their times as a Huntsman or Huntress, this is fortunately not one of those cases. Mr. Jaune Arc, would you please come to the stage?"

"Huh?" The blonde looked around, confused. "Did he really just call me?"

Gwyn smiled, realizing what Ozpin had planned. He pushed Jaune towards the aisle to the stage, giving the blonde a wide smile. "Hurry up, Mr. Arc. You wouldn't want to keep your team waiting."

The confused blonde nodded and made his way up to the stage, dumbfounded at the sudden attention.

Looking up at the screens, Gwyn noticed the picture of Russel Thrush fade away, replaced by Jaune's. With that, the four rearranged themselves, such that Jaune's picture was first, followed by Sky Lark, Dove Bronzewing, and Cardin Winchester, with the letters JSDC underneath them.

Once Jaune was on the stage, Headmaster Ozpin continued speaking. "Now Mr. Arc here has performed remarkably during the examination, proving his leadership skills with distinction against a Death Stalker. Though he was not partnered with anyone during the test, instead travelling with Mr. Adams and Ms. Nikos, he proved himself to be fully capable of leading a team in his own right."

Ozpin turned towards the newly formed team. "With that, I present to you Team Justice, led by Mr. Jaune Arc." The headmaster smiled at Jaune. "Congratulations young man."

Gwyn applauded and it was joined by the other members of Team GNVR, as well as Team RWBY.

Ozpin glanced at the teams and smiled. "Looks like things are shaking up to be... an interesting year."

* * *

A/N: Definitely not perfect, or one of my best chapters. Writing a lot of character at once is something I really need to work on.

Moving on.

We see the others accept Gwyn's true appearance, the characters fight briefly, and then general character interactions.

The teams! Jaune's the leader of what used to be CRDL, renamed... Justice! Now that's going to be interesting. As for when Russel died, well he screamed in the forest and died off-screen.

Mm, not sure what else to say. Ah. Grail Sanctum is Gwyn's primary focus for his Aura, and can rebuild itself from that. It's why the orb returned after exploding.

Anyway, thanks again for reading. Leave a review or PM if you've anything to say, be it question, comment, critique or concern.

Until the next.

Edited:2/5/14


	7. The Problem with Lies

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

After the formation of teams was complete, Ozpin dismissed them for the night, after assigning them dorms. Surprisingly, Team RWBY's dorm was directly across the hall from Team GNVR, though Gwyn thought Ozpin had a hand in that. In any case, Team GNVR had retired for the night as soon as they entered, too exhausted from the initiation to do anything else.

Gwyn lay on his bed, on top a comfy mattress and under a warm red blanket. His body still ached, but it was the type of dull ache that one with a chronic condition got used to, a sort of weariness deep in his muscle and bones. Yet, as tired as he was, he couldn't find it in himself to fall asleep.

He sighed and sat up on his bed, taking a look around. It was night, late at night too if the position of the moon from outside of the window was any indication.

The room itself was only just large enough to hold all four beds. As it was, the beds were positioned against opposite sides of the room, a pair on either side, with the door to the hall on the southern wall and a large window on the northern wall.

Gwyn's teammates were fast asleep, already in the land of slumber.

The beds opposite his wall, the east of the room, were where Nora and Ren slept. The bubbly girl had insisted on that the moment they walked through the room, much to an exasperated Ren's dismay.

That left Pyrrha to sleep on the other bed on Gwyn's side.

Admittedly, the situation left Gwyn feeling a bit awkward, as he wasn't used to co-ed sleeping conditions. That wasn't why he couldn't sleep, however. No, as a professional at heart, Gwyn could ignore that fact and keep a calm head about it. What was worrying him was the team name, strange as that may be.

_Team GNVR. Team Guinevere. Team Guh-win-eh-veer. _Gwyn frowned as he sounded out the name in his head. For some reason, the name bothered him. An indescribable feeling bordering on irritation and obsession, tinged with sadness or nostalgia. All in all, a strange feeling.

_I wonder why that is?_ Realizing that pondering on the name was a fruitless endeavor, Gwyn let out another sigh and leaned back down, resting his head against his pillow.

Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, Gwyn let his conscious mind slowly slip away as drowsiness and fatigue finally caught up to him.

Gwyn realized he was dreaming. That... was not a good thing. Dreams are a funny thing, a result of the sub-conscious mind filtering and assorting thoughts and desires. Because of that, the untrained mind will create visions containing familiar faces, situations and events that reflect the dreamer's current mental state and desires. However, the sub-conscious isn't too good at showing words and tends to take things quite literally.

For Gwyn, that was a very, very bad thing, as he found out during his youth. His Semblance relied on his desires and thoughts to accomplish things. Unfortunately, it wasn't something that he could turn off when he was sleeping, and that resulted in some pretty spectacular situations when he woke up.

Thankfully, over the years, Gwyn had managed to train his sub-conscious to not manifest his dreams in reality when he was sleeping. He had even learned how to induce lucid dreaming so that he could maintain a degree of control over his dreams, something he mostly used to just go back to sleep inside his dream.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do it all the time, and especially not when he was dead-tired, as he was when he went to sleep earlier that night. Also, while the dreams wouldn't manifest in reality, any individual with an analogue in the physical world would retain memories of what happened.

So, Gwyn realized he was dreaming... but the dream was already in process before he did.

Seeing all the people involved, and what they were doing, only one thought ran through Gwyn's mind. _Not good._

It was a wedding. Probably symbolic of Gwyn's commitment. Of course, that in no way would excuse him from the wrath of those he was apparently marrying when they woke up.

He was standing before the altar, Headmaster Ozpin residing as the Marriage officiant for the wedding. A damnable smirk was on his face as he read the wedding script. "We are here today to join Gwyn Adams and these lovely ladies in a life of mutual commitment..."

Withholding a grimace, he smoothly turned to look at the ones he was 'marrying'.

To his left, wearing matching wedding dresses of black lace were three, beautiful young women. The furthest away from him was Blake Belladonna, gazing back at him with an absolutely adorable look. Her black bow only added to her adorableness, making her seem utterly huggable.

_...And my thoughts run away from me even inside a dream. Great._ Gwyn quickly cut off the examination before he found himself thinking other cuddly thoughts and looked at the next in line.

Like Blake, the young woman wore a lacy black wedding dress. But where Blake had been adorable, the young woman next to her could best be described as... racy. With a low cut front and form-hugging lace that left almost nothing to the imagination, Yang stared back at him with sultry eyes, giving him a sly wink.

Gwyn smiled, but internally he was cringing. _This is bad. Bad, bad, bad situation. Alright, calm down Gwyn. Examine who else is present first before deciding if you need to run first thing in the morning._

The young woman immediately to Gwyn's left, in a dress that was also black lace but accentuated with hints of red, like a rose. She only stood to about Gwyn's chest, still growing for her age. Silver eyes looked into Gwyn's own, as Ruby Rose smiled cheerfully at him.

_SHE'S NOT EVEN OF AGE!_ Gwyn mentally cursed his sub-conscious mind (something he realized was starting a depth of recursion that was going to end in a massive headache) and swore to keep it under lock and key as soon as the dream ended.

With a growing sense of dread, Gwyn turned to his right, fearing who he'd find waiting.

Unlike his left, to his right there were only a pair of young woman. For a moment, Gwyn was struck by the lack of symmetry, but then remembered that more important things were at stake here. _Like my life._

Furthest from him, Pyrrha stood in a simple yellow dress. She gave him a bright smile and waved, before turning back to the front.

And then there was the last.

A radiant beauty, as elegant as perfectly cut diamonds. A white dress, as pure as freshly dropped snow, accentuated with hints of frosty blue that matched her sapphire eyes.

Weiss Schnee stood directly on his right, with a completely out of character look of absolute adoration on her face.

Gwyn took a step back.

_...I'm dead. As soon as they all wake up, I'm absolutely, without a doubt, utterly and damnably dead._

Looks of concerns showed on all of the women's faces, but it was the most evident on Weiss's.

Ozpin paused in his speech at Gwyn's sudden retreat, but then turned to Weiss and continued reading with an even wider smirk on his face. "And we will begin with the first to be met. Do you, Weiss Schnee, take Gwyn Adams, to be your partner in life and sharing your path; equal in love, a mirror for your true self, promising to honor and cherish, through good times and bad, until death do you part?"

Gwyn froze and slowly turned his head towards Weiss. She returned his gaze, a loving smile on her face, and nodded. "I do."

"Aww, aren't they adorable Ren?"

The sudden sentence cut through Gwyn's stunned state of mind, and he snapped his head to the crowd. Most of the people there were featureless and indistinct, but he could clearly see the rest of his Team, as well as an indignant and clearly envious Jaune sitting in the stands.

The quiet Asian sighed. "Nora. Are you sure you should be talking? This is an important moment for them."

"Alright, that's it." Gwyn spun on his heel and walked down the aisle, arms thrown up in the air. "I'm done, mind. You win. Now, at least let me get a few minutes head start."

"Gwyn!" He heard Weiss call his name and start running after him, but he could already tell where that was heading.

The brunette upped his pace, breaking out into a full-tilt sprint towards the large double doors of the cathedral the wedding was occurring. Running past the faceless crowd, he could've sworn that he heard a trio of laughter, and turned towards it.

Two young men, one with a kind look about him and red hair, the other with pitch-black hair and an amused expression, stood on either side of a girl with light-brown hair. The three of them waved, cheer on their faces, at Gwyn.

There was a flash of recognition in Gwyn's mind as he saw them, but before he could sort that out, he had burst through the doors and back into the waking world.

His eyes snapped open and he shot out of bed, ignoring his body's protests at being moved so quickly before it was healed. His team was already stirring and he most definitely did not want to face them at the moment. Not only that, his abrupt end of the dream would have only meant the others would wake soon as well, and he was dead when Weiss found him.

Not even bothering to change, Gwyn burst out of the door and into the hall, grimacing as he heard signs of indignant rage and activity from the dorm directly across from his.

"GWYN! How _DARE_ you marry my sister without my permission!?"

_...Forgot about Yang. Not good._

Suddenly realizing that his head start had been cut to almost nothing, Gwyn broke off in a sprint.

A door slammed open, and Gwyn heard confused voices follow that. He didn't turn to check, knowing that doing so would not be healthy in any way for his foreseeable future.

He reached into his robes and pulled out Grail Sanctum, tossing it behind him and willing it to become a barricade. Since it wasn't a primary function of the weapon, the make-shift metal wall wouldn't stall them for long, especially against the combined fury of almost half a dozen women, but at least it would buy some time.

Rounding the corner, he almost ran into a groggy Jaune. The blonde had been walking around in his blue pajamas, a toothbrush in his hand, obviously headed for the bathroom. He stopped at Gwyn's sudden appearance and gave him a strange look. "Hey man, I just had the weirdest dream-"

"Talk later, gotta run!" Gwyn cut him off and ran past him, mentally thanking whatever deities were out there for another thing to use as a distraction. "Thanks in advance Jaune!"

The blonde paused at Gwyn's words and tilted his head. "Thanks in advance...?" Jaune shrugged and started on his way when the sound of thundering footsteps caught his attention. He turned, curious, and then paused at the sight of five indignant young women, led by a blonde with (literally) fiery rage in her eyes.

"Where did he go, Jaune?"

"Ehe... Well..." Jaune gulped, and then remembered all that Gwyn had done for him the other day. Mentally letting out a sigh, Jaune looked Yang in the eye with a determined expression. "I don't know."

* * *

Gwyn slumped against a wall, cursing his weak body and his past self for that absolutely idiotic act of heroism he performed the other day to save Weiss. He had managed to reach the main hall, but it looked like he wasn't going to make it any further.

_So this is the end of the line._ Gwyn sighed, wincing as the heat of Grail Sanctum's reformation seared from his pocket. _And there goes my distraction._

The sound of five different sets of footsteps echoed down the hallway, the signal of his end.

Yang burst around the corner, quickly followed by Weiss, Blake, Ruby, and Pyrrha.

Ruby grabbed one of her sister's arms and said, "Now Yang, I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this..."

Pyrrha nodded, grabbing the other of the fiery blonde's arms. "Yes. Surely Gwyn did not mean to dream up such an... intimate scenario as a wedding." She glanced at her team leader and blushed, but remained determined. "And have you forgotten? Gwyn is in no shape to be moving, let alone running like you've forced him to this morning."

Gwyn sighed in relief at the support from the two red-heads, though the looks on the other girls wasn't too reassuring.

Weiss was flushed a deep red and trembled with what appeared to be barely suppressed anger. In fact, it was so much that her eyes were shining in what was, without a doubt, rage. "You... You...!"

The black-haired girl crossed her arms and tossed her head to the side. "I say we throw him off a cliff."

"Blake!" Ruby shook her head. "We can't do that!"

Gwyn groaned, seeing no way out of his mess. _Dumb, uncontrollable, abstract sub-conscious mind. _

Fortunately, before there could be any drastic action taken against Gwyn for his unfortunately realistic dreams, an authoritative voice called out.

"And what do you six think you're doing, rushing about this early in the morning?" Glynda Goodwitch gave them all a stern look, causing the girls to look away, embarrassed.

Yang in particular bristled and looked away. "W-well, Gwyn-"

"Ah, Mr. Adams." Ozpin interrupted Yang, appearing out of nowhere, and approached the group. As usual, he had a cup of coffee in hand. He looked amused at Gwyn's predicament, but quickly donned a professional expression. "My dear friend Qrow told me something like this might happen with your Semblance, so he had me make this to prevent it." The headmaster pulled out a small dream catcher, woven in the pattern of a cup beneath a star, and handed it to Gwyn.

Ozpin smiled and gave Gwyn a small bow. "Forgive me for having forgotten in the flurry of events occurring the night prior."

Gwyn suppressed the urge to glare at the headmaster and took the dream catcher, making sure to place it carefully in his pocket. "Thank you... Headmaster."'

"No worries. Thank _you_ for the entertainment the other night." The headmaster grinned. "It's not everyday I get to reside over a wedding, let alone that of one man and his many lovely ladies."

A chorus of groans rang out at the headmaster's words.

Glynda whipped out a baton and tapped it against her palm. "Well then. Now that the situation has been handled... I suggest you six get ready for the day. Heaven knows you've already woken half the school with your antics."

* * *

"You owe me." Jaune groaned and slumped against the table, stabbing his fork into his pile of pancakes.

After Glynda's reprimand, the girls had calmed down long enough for Gwyn to explain what had happened. While not satisfied with what had happened, they could understand that Gwyn didn't really have a say in his dream, and that he really didn't do anything wrong during the dream either.

With that said, Team RWBY returned to their dorm to get ready. That left Pyrrha and Gwyn to themselves.

Thankfully, the Sanctum graduate had laughed at the entire situation, and was instead more worried about Gwyn's condition, something he was grateful for.

Team GNVR quickly got their dorm into order and headed out for breakfast, with Nora and Ren vanishing somewhere in the crowd of students. Pyrrha and Gwyn grabbed their breakfast and then sat down at a table next to Jaune, who was alone as his team was still asleep.

Pyrrha gave Jaune a warm smile. "That was a brave thing you did back there, Jaune. Standing up to Yang isn't an easy thing to do."

Her words perked up the blonde considerably, and he grinned. "Well... it was, wasn't it?"

"Without a doubt." Gwyn nodded and finished his food. "Being roundhouse kicked down the hall by a furious Yang is something even I would not willfully walk into."

"Well." Jaune continued eating his pancake. "That's where we're different."

Gwyn got up and patted the blonde on the back. "That we are. Well, I'll be seeing you in class then, Jaune. Pyrrha. Enjoy yourselves."

Pyrrha and Jaune nodded, then continued eating their breakfast. As Gwyn left, they began an animated discussion about what was coming up in the day.

Walking through the crowd of students on his way to class, Gwyn noticed that he held the attention of many more eyes than usual. At first, he was concerned that word of Yang's outburst this morning had spread across the school, but it seemed that they weren't talking about that.

"Is that... Gwyn? Gwyn Adams?"

"What happened to him, do you think? He doesn't look too good..."

"Well, I heard that he took on a Death Stalker by himself. That's why he's so pale! The fight took a lot out of him!"

Gwyn sighed at the rumors spreading about his appearance. _You would think that the first day of classes would be more important to them than my health._ The brunette shook his head in disgust and walked into the classroom.

The clock on the wall in the lecture hall showed that there were still thirty minutes before class began. Accordingly, there weren't many students in the seats yet. In fact, the only other people in the room were the professor, a burly sort of man with gray hair parted in the middle and vast mustache covering his mouth, and Weiss, who was sitting in the front row.

The professor was busy setting up his lecture, posting diagrams of various Grimms' anatomies, as well as maintaining a cage with a trapped beast of sorts off to the side of the room.

"Good morning Ms. Schnee." Gwyn greeted her and took a seat left of the heiress, not wanting to risk being forced to interact with his other unimportant peers.

Weiss flushed red and crossed her arms. "What do you think you're doing?"

Gwyn tilted his head to the side. "I had thought that I would sit next to someone I know rather than one I did not." Gwyn frowned. "Though if you are still uncomfortable from the... event that had transpired this morning, I can always-"

"T-that's fine." Weiss resolutely turned her attention back to the front. "A-as long as you're quiet."

Gwyn gave her a grateful smile and then leaned back, waiting for the lecture to start.

Before long, the rest of Team RWBY filtered in. Yang and Blake had taken a seat on Weiss's right, while Ruby took one directly to Gwyn's left, right before the aisle. The top Signal graduate felt decidedly out of place surrounded by the women from his unspeakably embarassing dream, but Yang was exceptionally insistent on him staying put where he was.

Jaune was seated with his team near the exit in the back of the lecture hall, though Gwyn noticed that they didn't appear particularly respectful towards their team leader. Pyrrha was sitting closeby, however, so they didn't do anything overt.

As for Nora and Ren, well, Gwyn couldn't see them from where he was, though he could hear Nora's bubbly laughter somewhere above him.

"So, Gwyn." Ruby poked him with a pencil. "Does _that_ happen often when you go to sleep? I mean, I get that you're a guy and all, so I can see that. It's sweet, actually, but... well..."

The sound of breaking wood. Gwyn turned towards the source and saw that Weiss had snapped her pencil in half, face flushed a deep red.

Gwyn frowned and said, "Are you well, Ms. Schnee? If you are feeling ill, I can-"

"I'M FINE!"

The professor stopped what he was doing, as well as the rest of the students, and turned towards Weiss. "Magnificent spirit, Ms. Schnee!" The burly man gave her a short applause. "But I do believe that my lesson is about to begin, so if you would remain seated..."

The heiress paled and sat down, quietly leaning over her notes. "Yes, Professor Port."

"Now then." Peter Port, their burly professor, turned to his diagrams and began the lecture. "Monsters! _Deeemons..._"

Gwyn only half-paid attention to the professor, as he was concerned about Weiss. _Flushed face, erratic behavior, and a hair-trigger temper. Could this be... the dreaded 'time of the month' for Ms. Schnee?_ Realizing the perils he faced if that was the case, Gwyn wisely decided to turn his attention to Ruby, who appeared far more amiable at the moment.

The young girl was happily drawing a picture, though Gwyn noticed that she was writing some words down. After a moment, she passed it over.

It was a cathedral, with Weiss and him standing at the altar.

He snatched the drawing before anyone, especially Weiss, could see and used his Semblance to wipe it clean. Of course, it was only temporary, as it would return back to its original state by the time the class was over. But at least Gwyn would be far away from the fallout should Weiss see the drawing.

Ruby giggled and snatched it back, scribbling out some words. _Weddings, Gwyn? Romantic, aren't you? _She tapped at them and passed her pencil and the paper back to Gwyn.

The brunette passed a quick glance at Weiss, and, seeing that she was focused on writing notes with the working half of her pencil, scribbled a response.

_Not my fault. Told you, subconscious decides dreams when I'm not lucid._

_So... your subconscious decided to marry you to Weiss? And all of us?_

Gwyn glared at Ruby, who had a smug look on.

_Thought so :)_

Gwyn palmed Grail Sanctum, relying on it to clear his mind from all of the trying events of the morning. Unfortunately, it was still warm and not cool because of Yang blasting it to bits this morning.

With an exasperated sigh, Gwyn turned his considerable focus back to Professor Port, doing his absolute best to ignore the giggles coming from Yang and Ruby on either side of him.

The professor was listing the attributes a Huntsman or Huntress must possess, namely honor, dependability, strategy, knowledge, and wisdom. "...So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Gwyn leaned back, seriously considering the question. _Hm. Well, honor is something I would say Jaune has in spades, as well as dependability and strategy. The latter two though... Ah. Pyrrha fulfills the requirements. _Finishing his analysis, he turned towards the red-haired girl to see if she would volunteer-

"Gwyn Adams embodies those traits, Professor."

-And froze as he was volunteered by someone else.

"Ah, Ms. Schnee! Marvelous initiative there young lady." Professor Port nodded. "Indeed, I have heard much the same from our esteemed Headmaster."

"Professor," Gwyn began. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but I am still recovering from an injury and-"

The burly professor cut off Gwyn's protests with a wave of his hand. "Nonsense, m'boy! Why, I have no doubt that you'll be just as capable as I was during my battle against a dozen Beowolves. Why, I was half-dead, bleeding from every orifice..."

Seeing that he had no choice, Gwyn sighed and forced himself to his feet. He cast a look at Weiss, only to see that she wouldn't catch his eyes, still flushed red with what he believed to be anger. _Definitely that time of the month then. I knew she was vindicative, but this... I'd best ensure not to antagonize her in the future around this time._

"As you say professor. Pardon me Ms. Schnee, Ruby." He gently rose out of his seat, taking care not to put more weight on his arms than necessary, and began walking down the aisle to the front of the room.

"Well then, m'boy!" Professor Port grabbed his axe from its display and then gestured to the cage. "Stand and face your foe!"

"A-ah, Professor." Weiss interrupts just as the axe is raised to strike the cage's lock. "I'm sorry but Gwyn actually is really hurt and-"

The axe is swung, breaking the lock that kept the cage shut.

"Nonsense, young lady." The professor rests his axe in a cermonial stance, with the head against the ground. "Why, you should put more faith in the one you volunteered!"

Gwyn drew Grail Sanctum, shifting it to its sword form. The act drew exclamations of awe from most of the class, and the professor. But those who were with him during the initiation knew that it was something he really shouldn't be doing something right now.

"Professor Port!" Ruby shot out of her chair, a worried look on her face. "I think I'm the embodiment of those traits. Let me-"

"NONSENSE!" The professor raised his axe and rammed it against the floor. "Let Mr. Adams show his worth!" The normally jovial professor's expression shifted to a serious expression. "Anymore disruptions will only be undermining your honor as a Huntsman or Huntress. Now be silent!"

Gwyn was unaware of the commotion his actions had caused, instead narrowing his focus to the Grimm that was hidden in the cage.

_Boarbatusk. A Grimm that resembles a common boar, yet armored by plates as strong as steel._ Gwyn raised his sword in front of him, pointing it straight at the Grimm, again ignoring the dull ache in his bones. _But every armor has its flaws, and the greatest here is by the boar's neck._

Gwyn relaxed, knowing that tension at this point would only result in a messy and undoubtedly painful goring. _Only one move before my body begins to protest and my coordination falls to pieces. _

"Professor! Stop him!"

He didn't know who shouted, but it irritated him. Did they think that he was so fragile as to fail to defeat even a simple beast like the Grimm before him?

The Grimm charged, tusks lowered to gore him.

With a look of contempt, Gwyn stepped to the side the moment before it reached him and swung his blade at the nape of the boar's neck. Grail Sanctum met no resistance as it cut through the boar Grimm, severing its head, leaving the students in shock.

He ignored them, squaring his shoulders and smirking at the crowd. "...Am I finished Professor?"

"MAGNIFICENT!" The professor emphasized his point by hitting the floor with his axe again. "Indeed, you are a true huntsman Mr. Adams!"

Gwyn gave them all a small bow and walked out of the room with his head held high, hiding the tremors running through his arms.

So focused on maintaining his posture, he didn't even stop for the Professor's dismissal, or for the ones calling his name.

* * *

A/N: Yet another chapter! I'm on a roll lately, it would appear. I should be this productive more often...

Right, so Gwyn's Semblance. It's been hinted at quite a bit now, so I'm curious as to if anyone's figured it out.

The wedding dream was fun to write. A bit of foreshadowing there too, though I'm not sure if anyone caught it.

Weiss is acting up. That's a thing. Also, the girls now have prime blackmail material on Gwyn.

And Ozpin being a troll is always hilarious.

Right, so thanks again for reading, and don't forget to leave a review if you've any comments, questions, or criticisms. PMs work as well, as I really do enjoy hearing opinions on my writing.

Until the next.


	8. Ramifications

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

It had been hours since he had left the classroom. After what had happened, the only thing Gwyn wanted was to have some time alone.

It was with weary steps that he had walked through the halls, pointedly ignoring those looking his way, and headed to the one place he knew he wouldn't be bothered: the roof.

After opening the door to the roof, Gwyn walked to the nearest bench, relieved that he could finally stop moving, and slumped across it, staring up at the orange sky. With his body at an absolute rest, the aches that he had been reflexively suppressing came to fore, a painful reprimand for the careless abuse he put his body through today when it hadn't yet fully healed.

He sighed and closed his eyes, letting the sun's rays warm his ailing body. It wouldn't heal it, but through the years he found that its warmth alleviated some of the pain, as well as serving as a pleasant distraction to the dull ache.

Lulled by the relaxing ambience and sunlight, before long Gwyn found his thoughts straying towards the cause of his current situation, one particular imperious white-haired girl.

_Weiss Schnee. Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, SDC. Cold and arrogant, she strives to maintain an image like an elegant ice sculpture. Perfect. Flawless, and believing she's entitled to the world. _

There was the slightest sound of a door creaking open, but Gwyn didn't hear it, still lost in his contemplation of the Schnee heiress.

_Despite that, she's fragile. _Gwyn recalled how she had reacted to him saying she hadn't had hardships. _When you're raised behind glass doors and put on display, wouldn't you be just as weak as the walls that surround you? When under the public scrutiny, the only privacy maintained is by painting the walls dark, hiding the transparent self behind an inscrutable mask._

Gwyn frowned. _That still doesn't excuse her behaviour. Even a fake knows better than to send a wounded man to fight a battle when there are healthy men to take his place. Ms. Schnee was out of line... though I suppose it's excusable given her current condition._

The sound of light breathing just above him stirred Gwyn out of his thoughts, and he had to suppress his instincts to bolt upright. He waited for a few more moments, to see if the unknown presence would move, but when they didn't Gwyn opened his eyes, meeting a pair of familiar light blue orbs.

"Hello there, Ms. Schnee." Gwyn smiled, a hint of amusement in the gesture, and said, "Are you here to volunteer me for another battle?"

Weiss shot back, face flushed. "I... w-wasn't staring at you or anything. I was just... worried! T-that's it."

Gwyn sat up, amused and finding a bit of satisfaction at her lack of composure, considering she had forced him to fight a Grimm earlier. "Well," Gwyn began. "Thank you for your concern, Ms. Schnee, but I am curious why _you_ of all people would come looking for me."

Weiss's red faced turned a deeper shade of crimson, and she turned her head to the side, hands clasped, avoiding Gwyn's eyes. "The others said you didn't head back to the dorms and you're injured, s-so it would be bad for you to be wandering about. Besides." Weiss glanced back at Gwyn for a moment and then turned away before speaking in a soft voice. "It's my fault you're hurt in the first place."

_That was unexpected._ Gwyn gave the heiress a scrutinizing look for a few moments, and then nodded. "Apology accepted Weiss."

The heiress looked up, visibly relieved at Gwyn's words, but the Signal graduate wasn't done yet.

"However, please do not volunteer me for any more battles in the time being. I would like at least a brief period of rest to heal before abusing..." Gwyn hesitated for a brief moment as Weiss flinched at that word and touched her scar. "...my body any further. Is that alright with you?"

Weiss dropped her hand and nodded. "O-of course!"

"Very well." Gwyn got to his feet and headed for the door. "I will see you tomorrow, Weiss. Again, thank you for your concern."

"Wait."

Gwyn stopped, turning his head back to look at the heiress. "Yes?"

She was still flushed, but looked to have regained her composure. "You're not going to just leave me again, are you?"

Confused, Gwyn tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Weiss turned a deeper shade of crimson, but this time it was in anger. With a huff, she crossed her arms and glared at Gwyn. "The first time we met, you ran out on me before I could finish talking. The second time, you left before I could apologize for s-slapping you. And then in your dream when we... I mean when I said my..." The heiress trailed off, and looked away. "A-anyway, you keep running away! I demand that you take responsibility!"

"Responsibility...?" Gwyn frowned, genuinely confused.

Weiss walked to Gwyn's side and looked him in the eye. "Escort me to my dorm."

The brunette paused, considering the meaning of her words, and then blanched. "P-pardon me, Ms. Schnee, but while you are a very attractive lady, and one I would consider a friend I... do not think that I am quite ready to take that step."

This time, it was Weiss who was confused, but then she realized what she had said and the manner in which she had spoken. "I don't mean like that you insufferable... grah!"

Gwyn sighed, relieved that it was a misunderstanding on his end, though he was still concerned at Weiss's volatile state of mind. _Definitely that time of the month. _"Well Ms. Schnee, if by escort you mean guide back and not the... other meaning, I would be glad to do so."

Weiss scoffed at Gwyn's offered arm, but took it. "...You're infuriating, do you know that Mr. Adams?"

Gwyn gave her a soft smile. "And you, Ms. Schnee, are quite an... interesting individual to be around." He raised his arm, the heiress standing close to his side, and nodded. "Shall we be off?"

A silent nod was her reply, and the two headed back to the dorms.

When they returned, it was late and the sun had already been replaced by the moon in the sky. Weiss had left to her team's dorm as soon as they arrived without so much as a 'thank you', but then again Gwyn had expected it considering (what he believed) the reason behind her fluctuating emotions.

Turning to his own dorm, Gwyn quietly opened the door and entered, not wanting to disturb his teammates, but it seemed they had something else in mind.

"You're out late." Nora pouted, looking at Gwyn with wide, dramatically watery eyes. Pyrrha and Ren stood on either side of her, looks of concern on their faces.

Gwyn closed the door behind him and sighed. "I suppose it was naive of me to believe you would all be asleep now, wasn't it?"

Pyrrha and Ren nodded at that (Nora was still tearing up).

The Asian sighed at Nora and then turned to Gwyn. "I apologize for her behavior, Gwyn. But... what exactly were you doing out so late?" Ren frowned. "Headmaster Ozpin told us you needed rest, and staying up this late will do you no good."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "You're our leader now, Gwyn. Please, take more care of yourself."

Gwyn waved off their concerns, though he smiled in appreciation. "Thank you, all of you, but you needn't worry so much." Gwyn walked over to his bed and sat down. "I've gone through worse in the past and turned out just fine. So please, just focus on enjoying your first days here at Beacon and not on my troubles."

Pyrrha and Ren shared a look, while Nora jumped into her bed, pulling the covers up. Eventually, Ren turned to Gwyn and spoke. "I... believe your thinking is flawed there, Gwyn."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement, and the Asian continued. "You are our leader. Not only that, but we're a team. What happens to you reflects on us all."

"Ren has a point, Gwyn." Pyrrha stepped forward and took a seat next to Gwyn on his bed. "We're in this together, and we can't be happy if you're hurt."

Gwyn frowned, a bit uncomfortable at the empathetic concern from his teammates. It was rare for him to have people genuinely worried for him, so the situation was something he wasn't accustomed to. "If you all believe that-"

There were vigorous nods from all three members at his words, even Nora who had peeked out from under her covers just for that.

"-then I suppose I'll take it easy," Gwyn finished.

"Yay!" Nora jumped out of her bed and clapped, earning a scolding from Ren.

"Nora! There are people sleeping!"

"Oopsies!" The bubbly girl giggled and then ducked back into her covers.

Ren sighed and shook his head, walking over to his own bed and laying down.

"Well, that's that." Pyrrha patted Gwyn's shoulder and went back to her bed. "Get some rest, Leader."

With a bemused smile, Gwyn nodded and lay down before slipping off into his dreams.

* * *

"...And I used a carbon-steel alloy to accommodate for the recoil. Aluminum would have increased the weight, but when I tested it, Crescent Rose was too light and the kickback almost knocked the scythe out of my hands. It was like BOOM and I almost cut off my arm."

Gwyn nodded at Ruby's enthusiastic explanation, intrigued at the complexity involved in her weapon's creation.

It was their second day of classes at Beacon. Today's class was weapon design and maintenance, essentially a how-to class on field maintenance. While the basics should have been taught before arriving at Beacon, as your weapon is your best friend next to your teammates on the field, it was a required class in their first year at Beacon.

The room for the class was a workshop, the same size as a lecture hall yet containing various work benches and all the materials necessary to perform any maintenance required on any weapon imaginable. Dremels, lasers for etching, drills, saws, even a limited supply of Dust, both crystal and powder form, was available provided you checked it out with your scroll to verify the use.

Because of the diverse array of equipment carried by each individual Huntsman or Huntress in-training, the course was more of a self-study class where you were partnered with another student to explain your weapon, listing its capabilities, making, etc., in the hopes that doing so would cement the knowledge into your mind.

Considering that Signal graduates forged their own weapons, there was a considerable divide present among the students, as those from Signal held a clear advantage over their peers in weapon knowledge.

The instructor for the course, surprisingly, was Headmaster Ozpin, who had quickly run over the basics (coffee mug in hand) before leaving them to their own devices after telling them to partner up.

Needless to say, Ruby had plowed through the rest of the students to reach Gwyn when Ozpin said to partner up. Gwyn had expected it, considering the blatant interest she had shown in Grail Sanctum the first time she saw it.

And there they were, sitting on a workbench with blueprints and writing materials scattered about as Ruby explained her weapon's makeup.

"I see," Gwyn said. "So you went with the heavier alloy to both increase durability and maneuverability." The brunette nodded, tapping on his chin in thought. "Though, wouldn't titanium or a silver-alloy have been better?"

Ruby frowned, a serious expression on her face. "...No, I don't think that's a good idea. They're softer and would absorb more force, but less durable in the long run. I did use them in the core though. Good shock absorbers."

Gwyn nodded, making mental notes to update his knowledge of metallic alloys next chance he got. "I understand. That would definitely allow for the recoil to be dissipated safely, while allowing just enough momentum to add to your own."

"Right!" Ruby nodded, silver eyes sparkling with excitement and pride. "I'm glad you understand. You have _no_ idea how hard it was to explain it to my teacher. All she did was nag and nag about safety requirements and overly complex mechanisms."

Gwyn smiled. "She was a bit stringent, wasn't she?"

"You bet. Silly lady couldn't understand the brilliance of my baby." The younger student stroked her weapon, momentarily lost in a trance, and then straightened, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh no, what time is it?"

"We have about five minutes left, according to the clock on the wall," Gwyn replied.

"Gah!" Ruby placed Crescent Rose back in its holster and then pulled out her notebook, along with a pen. "I spent a whole hour talking about my weapon?! Why didn't you stop me?"

Gwyn tilted his head to the side, amused at Ruby's frantic actions. "It was interesting, and you seemed to be enjoying yourself. Should I have stopped you?"

"YES!" Ruby looked at the clock and groaned. "Now we don't have any time for you to explain your weapon!"

Gwyn smirked and pulled out Grail Sanctum. "Of course there is. This," Gwyn said while picking up the silver orb, "is Grail Sanctum. Titanium and white-gold alloy, with Dust crystals of various elements kept at its core."

Ruby blinked a few times, and then crossed her arms. "That's mean! Why won't you tell me how it works?" She paused for a moment, and then an impish smile appeared on her face. "If you don't tell me, I might just let _slip_ how you and Weiss were out late last night. _Together._"

This time, Gwyn blinked, caught off-guard by Ruby's out of character behaviour. "...You wouldn't."

Ruby leaned back, a smug smile on her face. "Tell me or I will."

Gwyn sighed, realizing that he wouldn't win that argument. "Yang was right. You truly are insufferable when you're focused on weapons."

"Yep!" Ruby gave Gwyn an enthusiastic nod. "But I'm a lovable insufferable weapon dork!"

"Well," Gwyn began. "It's rather simple. Because of my particular Semblance, a trait that I shall not reveal even under duress of blackmail by a certain insufferable weapon dork..."

"Even if I get Yang involved?" Ruby asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"...even if the volatile Ms. Long is involved," Gwyn continued.

"Phooey." Ruby stomped her right foot, slightly put-out at Gwyn's answer, but listened with keen interest in her eyes.

"I can directly manipulate the form of the sphere without any overt mechanisms as seen in other weaponry. Like so." Gwyn focused and the sphere turned into the same sword he had shown Ruby earlier, the simple unadorned European long sword. "Notice how there is almost no transition between sphere and blade. That is because there is no need for a transition. It either is a blade..." Gwyn flicked his wrist, and the blade turned into his familiar magnum pistol. "...Or it is not."

Ruby nodded, scribbling notes in her book. "Right, right. So no mechanics, ball-bearings, or dust-air emulsion." The younger girl frowned. "But there has to be more to it than that. I mean..." Ruby turned up and looked at Gwyn. "It's not just a lump of metal and Dust, is it?"

The top Signal graduate grinned, placing his once-again silver sphere into his uniform's inner pocket. "Of course not, but I told you how it worked, did I not?"

Ruby frowned, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. "But what about maintenance? And its limitations? I mean, you can turn it into a high-caliber hand gun, a sword, a frag grenade, a metal barricade..." The younger girl trailed off when she realized Gwyn didn't plan on answering. "Fine, don't tell me!"

"I will tell you, Ruby." Gwyn smiled, a soft expression on his otherwise cold face. "But not today. Class is almost over, see?" He pointed at the clock, which showed there was only a minute left of class.

Not willing to let Gwyn get away with leaving her an incomplete answer, Ruby said, "So Gwyn, out of my Team and yours, which of the girls do you like the best? I mean, you were going to marry us all, of course, but I'm sure _one _of us is your favorite, right?"

Gwyn froze at the question, his rational mind quickly coming to the conclusion that there was no good answer, as well as the fact that not answering would have just as drastic consequences as answering incorrectly. "Well, Ruby. Out of all of you, I believe that..."

Fortunately for Gwyn, the bell rang. He let out a mental sigh of relief and swiftly pocketed his supplies (using a bit of his Semblance to shrink them). "...It's time to go. I'll see you later then, Ms. Rose."

"Hey!"

And the brunette beat a fast tactical retreat, leaving Ruby behind. Of course, a retreat could only save him from one battle and not the war, a fact made apparent at lunch.

Gwyn had deposited his supplies in his locker, placing his notebooks and pens away, and then began heading to the cafeteria. He was thankful for the fact that his Aura granted a modicum of disguise, using it at opportune times to avoid meeting any of the girls that had participated in his dream.

While he had somewhat mended bridges with Weiss, the subject of the dream forgotten after last night, and Pyrrha, who only cared about Gwyn's continued health (and who seemed more interested in Jaune in any case), he dreaded being confronted by any of the others.

Blake Belladonna seemed to have taken the dream personally, and now glared at Gwyn anytime they made eye contact. That, along with the fact that she was the one who suggested the girls throw Gwyn off a cliff kept him wary around the black-haired girl.

Ruby seemed innocent enough, but after learning about Grail Sanctum, it appeared that Gwyn unleashed a side of her that wouldn't stop until she had unraveled all his secrets, including embarrassing blackmail and/or questions at the most innocuous times.

And Yang... well, Gwyn didn't want to spend the rest of the year in the infirmary, something he feared would result if he encountered the fiery blonde.

"Heya, Gwyn!"

_Speak of the devil and he doth appear._ Gwyn forced a smile and slowly turned around towards the voice. "Hello there Yang." _Please don't be mad._

Gwyn's silent plea seemed to be answered, as Yang looked far from furious. Actually, she seemed down-right pleased to see Gwyn, if the bright and earnest smile was any indication.

Of course, the fact that her hands were hidden behind her back kept him on guard just in case she was waiting for the perfect time to slug him across the room. He wouldn't put it past her, really, considering that she had done just that to a student who had gotten too frisky with her.

"So I know I messed up the other day," Yang began. "I mean, I knew that your dreams were... strange, but seeing Ruby dressed up like that..." The blonde shook her head. "I'm sorry." She gave Gwyn a deep bow, low enough that her hair threatened to touch the ground.

_I don't know what's worse, _Gwyn thought, _the fact that Yang, who values her hair only below Ruby, is bowing before me with her hair almost dirtied by the ground meaning she's sincere and wants to make amends, probably with a fiery enthusiasm that will leave my ordinary life in ashes, or the fact that this might be an elaborate ruse to catch me off-guard before sending me to the infirmary._

"I... accept your apology, Yang Xiao Long. Please rise, there's no need for-"

Yang straightened so fast that it seemed to Gwyn as if the bow never happened.

"-that." _Well, the second scenario is now much more likely. Time to be on my guard._

The blonde gave Gwyn a wide smile. "Great! Now, I've heard from Uncle Qrow that you like good food, so I got this!" She revealed what she was holding behind her back, which was a basket filled to the brim with sandwiches, a pie, fruits of all sorts, and... a bottle of champagne?

"Er..." Gwyn unconsciously took a step back, especially with the devious glint in Yang's eyes. "I appreciate the gesture, Yang, but I was thinking to have lunch with my team today."

The blonde's smiled widened even further, turning into a grin. "No worries! I already told everybody we're having lunch together."

Gwyn suppressed a gulp. "...Everybody?"

Yang nodded. "Yep! Pyrrha was all for it. Something about getting you out of your shell and relaxing, I think. The other two were already eating when I asked them, so we're all good on that end too!" The blonde took a step forward.

"Right." Gwyn took another step back. "Well, what about your sister? And your team? Surely, it would be best to spend the time with them?"

Yang took another step forward, but then frowned in thought. "Well, Ruby suggested it. Weiss seemed a bit put off for some reason, but told me to go ahead and Blake's eating her tuna salad in the library."

Gwyn tried to take another step, but his back was to the wall. "I see." _Note. Do not underestimate the vindictive capacity of a young girl kept away from her toys. _

Yang covered the remaining distance between them and leaned forward, offering Gwyn a clear view of her chest. "So... it's just you and me."

The top Signal graduate sighed, outmaneuvered by the wiles of a determined young woman. "Very well. I'll assume that you have a place in mind?"

The blonde leaned back, a devilish smile on her face. "Why, Mr. Adams," she said in a coy manner. "Shouldn't the man be the one taking charge?"

Gwyn quirked an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that, Ms. Touch-my-hair-and-die-a-fiery-death?"

Yang playfully swatted Gwyn on his shoulder, forcing him to suppress a wince. "You know me too well, Gwyn!" She spun around, her smile never faltering, and beckoned for him to follow.

Objectively, Gwyn understood that most other males (especially Jaune) would die to be in a situation like this. Lovely blonde with a desirable body, coyly leading him to an unknown location for lunch... a young man's romantic fantasy if there ever was one.

Personally, Gwyn couldn't help but fear for his life at the thought of spending even an hour alone with the one known infamously as the 'Flaming Vain Dragon' among the Signal graduating class.

Yang stopped at the next row of lockers and turned around, giving Gwyn another coy look. "What's wrong, Mr. Adams? Scared?"

"Truthfully, yes." Gwyn sighed and began walking. "But I know better than to keep a woman like you waiting when I'm injured, so... I'm coming."

The blonde waited until Gwyn reached her side and then she leaned her head against his shoulder, a happy smile on her face. "Good. Now, to the gardens, Mr. Adams."

Gwyn nodded and kept walking, making sure to keep stride with the shameless blonde leaning on his shoulder.

_This is going to go terribly, terribly wrong, isn't it?_

* * *

A/N: And here's the next chapter. Not much action, but some character development. Considering that Jaunedice doesn't happen until weeks after the initiation, expect more character developments for the foreseeable future.

Here, we see the start of the aftermath of what happens when you pull girls into a dream where they're dressed up in wedding gowns and fit to be married. Needless to say, it doesn't end well on the guy's part, haha.

Weiss's frosty exterior is pretty much broken to bits now that it comes to Gwyn. Being rejected, saved, and then marrying the guy who saved you, vowing taking him as your partner in life and mirror for true self, even if just in a dream, tends to do that to a girl.

Well... not much else to say. Thanks for reading, and I hope it was enjoyable. Leave a review if you liked it, and have anything to say, or if you found something wrong with it and want to point it out. A PM works as well.

Until the next.


	9. Fire, Ice, and Blood

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

"Gwyn Adams." Weiss whispered her target's name and then ducked behind a potted plant when he turned around. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking she had been discovered by the brunette. But then Yang leaned against him, and he turned his attention back to her, rather than Weiss.

The heiress let out her held breath and then refocused on her target. _What are you doing, Gwyn?_

Weiss narrowed her eyes when she saw the way her target was acting. He was flirting with Yang. Polite, capable, and confident Gwyn was flirting with Yang. Yang, who was responding to his words with _extremely_ close bodily contact.

It was strange, Weiss thought. The way he was acting was almost the opposite of how he acted around her. When she met Gwyn, even after she slapped him, he had been an utmost gentleman. Yet, here he was acting like any other teenage boy.

The heiress reflected more on her target as she continued to follow him and Yang.

Different. Yes, that was it. He was different, and that's why Weiss couldn't stop thinking about him. The Gwyn she saw right now was different from the Gwyn she met on the airship, different from the Gwyn who scolded her after the opening ceremony, and different still from the Gwyn who had tore his body apart to save her.

Weiss couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but something about the way he acted was familiar to her. An action that she felt she knew well, something like... _A mask?_

She shook her head, returning to the reality at hand. Gwyn and Yang were far away now, almost at the exit to the Academy Gardens. Whatever her thoughts were about Gwyn, she needed to know more. This was her chance to find that out, to discover the flaw in that otherwise perfect facade.

That, and because it annoyed her for some reason seeing Yang stand so close to Gwyn.

The Schnee heiress buried her conflicted emotions underneath her frigid mask and followed her target, watching his every move.

* * *

Yang had planned this date mostly as an apology for her actions yesterday, but there was more to it than that.

_Gwyn Adams._ Yang repeated the name in her head. _Adams... that can't be a coincidence._

The blonde cast a glance towards the one she was leaning on and thought about what she knew of him.

Stubborn, that was for sure. Yang didn't even know how many times she had seen him return to his dorm late at night, limping from obvious overtraining when they were at Signal.

Reckless too, if the times he spent in the hospital wing back for Aura exhaustion were any indication. There was even one time where she saw him dragged to the infirmary with the caretakers muttering about complete Aura expenditure. A miracle he wasn't dead, they said.

He was confident as well, the type of person to never step down from a challenge.

Altogether, Gwyn was an admirable individual. That was why she didn't feel too self-conscious when she flirted with him.

Still, there were a few things about Gwyn that bothered her.

For one, Qrow had suddenly appeared with Gwyn only a few days after the final mission of Yang's mother, Summer Rose. And since then, Qrow was almost never seen without him.

And this was the same Qrow who rarely showed up at family gatherings.

For another, when Yang was curious and tried to look up his personal files on the Signal mainframe, she found that they were encrypted with the highest level of security she had ever seen, higher than even that of Qrow's, who was one of the most important huntsmen out there.

Yang could connect the dots. Somehow, someway, the reckless, determined, and polite young man was involved with the reason her mother and her team, ADMS, died.

A mystery. That was who Gwyn Adams was. A mystery Yang would solve, if it meant finding out the truth behind her mother's death.

"Do you always kidnap your dates, Ms. Long?"

Gwyn's words snapped Yang out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Gwyn staring at her with a small smile."I would've thought you didn't need to do that."

Yang laughed and swatted his shoulder. "Of course not. But doesn't this make it... _exciting?_"

"Not really."

Yang started to frown, but turned it into a small pout. _Looks like I'm going to have to up the ante._ She leaned in closer to Gwyn, pressing her considerable assets to the brunette's side. "That's not fair! You're making me do all the work here!"

Gwyn raised an eyebrow at Yang's action, but his pale face was as calm as ever with a small and unchanging smile. "Of course I am. You're trying to catch me, Ms. Long, not the other way around."

This time, Yang did frown. _It looks like the usual tactics aren't going to work_. She'd been expecting it as Gwyn had trained under Qrow, who was famous for his covert operations. But for him to not even break stride when she used her assets...

_Maybe he plays the other field? _Yang briefly considered the thought, but tossed it when she remembered that he and Weiss were up late the other night. _Nah. I just need a more... romantic setting._

"Something wrong, Ms. Long?" The brunette gave her a sideways glance. "You haven't decided on the silent treatment now, have you? Because I assure you, that won't work on me."

Yang smiled and shook her head. "Of course not, _Mr. Adams_. I'm just imagining how_ romantic_ our picnic's going to be."

"...If you say so." Gwyn sighed and turned his attention back to walking.

The two were almost at the gardens. They had passed dozens of other students along the way, most giving them surprised looks, though a few seemed a tad jealous. Yang was sure that rumors would be spreading soon about the two of them.

She shrugged, making a point to hold Gwyn's arm tight when she did that so that he was pressed against her... assets.

Still no response from the brunette.

_Geez, he's like ice. No wonder Weiss is so flustered around him. She's got nothing on Gwyn's calm. _Yang shook her head and sighed, making sure it sounded content, and continued walking with her 'date'.

* * *

Gwyn suppressed a shiver from one of Yang's more affectionate shows of thanks. _It's fortunate my focus and will are so developed. Panicking now would be a bad idea._

And it was. Yang had decided to be as clingy as possible in the last few moments, hanging on to him like a love-struck teenage girl. It was shameless, in Gwyn's opinion, but considering that Yang was infamous for knowing _exactly_ how to use her feminine traits to their full potential, it didn't surprise him.

Showing any signs that her tactics were working would only play in her favor.

_...I should've refused earlier. _When he thought back on the recent events, Gwyn decided that it would have been better if he had dealt with Yang's rage at declining her invitation rather than accept and be subjected to this passive-aggressive torture.

He could deal with pain. Having your body tear itself apart to exceed its limits hurt, but it was at least something he could be proud of. The fact that he could even do such a thing was a testament of his will, the ability to go forward when any other would stop.

He could deal with verbal barbs. Maintaining his image meant that he would upset some people, no matter how much he tried, so he learned to ignore them.

The only thing he couldn't deal with was embarrassment, and he was just about to die from it.

He saw the looks on his peers when they passed. The guys were envious, and the girls were startled, if not irritated.

That didn't bother him. No, what bothered him was the fact that Ms. Schnee was following them six paces back, and that his team had approved of this course of action in the first place.

_I should stop being so serious around them._ Gwyn made a mental note to relax around his team in the future, and to take them out to Vale City this weekend to show that he understood the benefits of social interaction. He in no way wanted a repeat of his current situation in the future, unless it was of his own volition and with someone who didn't have Yang's terrifying reputation.

He could appreciate the intent they had in setting him up with Yang. Who wouldn't want to enjoy a picnic with an attractive young lady like her?

The problem was that Gwyn was sure this was an elaborate scheme designed by Team RWBY to get back at him for his dream. Yang's overt signs of affection, something he doubted he earned, and Weiss's presence confirmed that thought.

A trap. He was sure of it. This was a trap to get him off guard so that they could have blackmail on him in the future. And what an effective trap it was.

If Gwyn indicated that he realized what they were planning, they won. He would be known as the guy who thought he was so haughty that he could turn down the most popular girl in their class. If he indicated that he knew Weiss was following, he would be known as the guy who was so paranoid he couldn't pay attention to a girl's sincere affection. And if he decided to change his mind and get lunch on his own, his image as a confident and collected individual would be ruined.

Women could be terrifying when they wanted to be.

_Well_, Gwyn thought. _If they want to play like this... I'm not going to fight fair._

He snapped out of his contemplation to see that they had reached their destination.

Gwyn took a moment to look around, as if deciding where the perfect place to have the picnic would be.

The Academy gardens were a scenic venue. Located at the back of Beacon's main building, it was a popular place for students for a number of reasons. The lush, green grass covering the grounds and clear view of the sky made for a perfect place for students looking for a napping place. The vast, blue pond in the middle of the grounds and the winding path were perfect for relaxing walks. And then the beautiful flowers (roses, violets, petunias, and priphea to name a few) and secluded hedges created private areas, perfect for dates.

"Perfect for a picnic, wouldn't you say, Mr. Adams?"

Gwyn sighed at Yang's latest attempt at seducing him. "Yang, do you really have to keep calling me that?"

"What's wrong?" Yang sidled even closer, pressing herself to Gwyn's arm. "Don't you like it... Mr. Adams?"

The brunette forced down his impulse to freeze and instead leaned towards her. "Well, if you insist, _Ms. Long._" He made sure to trail his words, and say them slowly to leave his breath lingering on her skin.

If his team saw him doing that... Gwyn wasn't sure what he would say. While the words came naturally to him, as well as the actions, it wasn't something he enjoyed doing. He could say that it was another tool he had at his disposal, but considering that they had already seen his dreams, it would cement his reputation as _that_ type of individual.

But he'd take that risk. If he wanted to escape from this mess intact, he'd need every weapon in his arsenal, even those unsavory tactics Qrow taught him to use in covert operations.

Yang blinked. "Huh?"

_It's working._

"Come on." He pulled her away into one of the more secluded areas of the garden. "If you insist this much I'll show you a_ good time_."

He ignored all of the ways his tactic could go wrong, all of the implications his words could have to Yang, and hoped that it was enough to keep her off her center.

* * *

Weiss clenched her teeth. _So some blonde bimbo is all it takes for him to revert to his baser instincts is it?_

She saw how her teammate had acted. It was hard to ignore it. The blonde was practically _throwing_ herself at the man!

Despite that, she thought that Gwyn was better. She thought that a person of his stature would be above such... uncouth advances.

"To think I respected him!" Weiss growled and clenched her hands.

She thought Gwyn was better than that. He had saved her, shown her the costs of being a hunter, and seemed to _understand_.

And there he was, pulling Yang into the bushes for some... rendezvous!

No, she couldn't forgive that. She couldn't excuse his actions. Gwyn needed to be punished for acting so... so... base!

The Schnee heiress stalked towards the pair, completely forgetting that she had approved of Yang's actions beforehand.

* * *

Yang found herself being pulled into Gwyn's pace. Before she knew it, the two were sitting down with all the food laid out and Gwyn was staring at her, looking as suave as one of those guys she had seen in the clubs at Vale City. What were they called... hosts, if she remembered right.

That thought snapped her out of the trance she was in.

"What's wrong, Ms. Long? Is the food you prepared not to your liking?"

Yang shook her head and put on a sly smile. "Oh, it's just perfect." She stretched and then picked up a sandwich, leaning towards Gwyn, giving him a wide view of her assets. "Open wide, Mr. Adams."

* * *

_Oh, she's good._

Gwyn smiled and took a small bite of the sandwich. It was delicious, but he was too concerned with running his next moves through his head to enjoy the taste.

_If I didn't know better, I'd think she was sincere in her affection._

He had heard tales of Yang's exploits back at Signal. Her record for retrieval and information gathering was peerless, on par with his own for combat. The blonde knew every tactic and strategy for getting what she wanted from her targets, especially if they were male.

Gwyn was fighting a dangerous game here, one that put his neck on the line in a way that he could only hope he didn't mess up.

The key was to weaken Yang's position while strengthening his own. Well, there wasn't a good way to resolve this, now that he thought about it. With the action he'd chosen, the best outcome he could get out of this would be a reputation as a scoundrel that couldn't be satisfied with Yang's affection.

Not the best, but it would be better than... Wait. Why was he doing this again?

Yang grinned and took a bite from the same sandwich she gave him. "Mm... tasty."

Right. He had to get away from the vixen that had trapped him in this Morton's fork, this double bind. But how? It wasn't a false dichotomy. He could leave, or he could stay, but there _had_ to be more choices than that.

Yang stared at him, taking long, sensual bites out of the sandwich, pleasure written on her face.

_There's the bait. Now, what's the catch?_

"What's wrong, Mr. Adams? Am I not good enough for you?"

"You're a fine individual, Ms. Long." _Deflect the question._ "But I'm afraid I just don't know enough about you."

Gwyn grabbed an apple and took a bite, making a crisp sound.

"Well, why don't we..." Yang leaned forward, resting her face on clasped hands. "...get to know each other better?"

He took another bite of his apple, looking at Yang with feigned interest.

"What did you do before Signal, Gwyn?" She rested one of her hands on his face. "I'm sure a handsome, skilled person like yourself has an _interesting_ past."

_So that's it then. I KNEW she wasn't sincere!_ Of course, the knowledge didn't help Gwyn any. He was still trapped, caught up in the seductive blonde's plans.

He could only see one way out of this, and he really, really didn't want to do it.

For one, while Yang was attractive, he didn't like her _that_ way. She was more of an annoying older sister than someone he saw as a potential lover. For another, the rumors that would spread if he proceeded would be troublesome. And then there were his teammates to consider, as well as Ruby, Weiss, and Blake.

But the only path he saw that led to his escape began with leaving Yang in a dazed mess, unable to tell tales while he ran damage control.

He steeled himself for what he had to do and leaned forward, staring deep into Yang's violet eyes. "Well, why don't you make it worth my while first, _Ms. Long."_

She grinned, leaning closer, lips drawing near his. "_My pleasure."_

And then Gwyn realized the trap had clamped shut. _Curses, it backfired._

As his social life was about to take a plunge for the worse and he did something he couldn't take back, Gwyn was saved by the unlikeliest person.

"What in the name of Dust are you doing Yang?!"

Weiss glared at the two, who were in a compromising position, an accusatory index finger pointed at Gwyn. "And you! Why aren't you rejecting her advances!?"

He smiled, relieved at the serendipitous interruption. "Hello to you as well, Ms. Schnee. We tend to meet in the strangest circumstances, don't we?"

"Don't deflect the question!" The heiress crossed her arms in a huff. "I want to know why you haven't told her off already."

"What's the matter, Weiss?" Yang leaned back with a grin and turned her attention to the heiress. "Afraid I might steal him away?"

"O-of course not!" Weiss turned her head to the side, looking at Yang with a sidelong glance. "There's no way Gwyn could fall for the likes of you!" She turned towards Gwyn, a pointed look on her face. "Right?"

Yang gave Gwyn a sultry smile. "Tell her she's wrong, Mr. Adams."

A sense of dread settled in the brunette's stomach. His response would earn the ire of the girl he didn't agree with. The only choice he had left was whether he wanted death by fire or death by ice.

...No. There was a third option.

Channeling as much charisma as he could without reaching towards Grail Sanctum to calm his nerves, he began his final gambit. "Well, here's what I think ladies." He gestured towards the food that was still left uneaten on the picnic blanket. "We have this delicious food, more than enough for the three of us. Why don't we all just calm down and enjoy what remains of our lunch hour?"

A flawless performance, judging from the reactions of both girls.

Yang gave him a small pout, but nodded and grabbed a sandwich.

Weiss looked cross at Gwyn's attempt to change the subject, but nodded and took a seat next to Gwyn, grabbing an apple from the basket.

It worked. Gwyn wasn't in danger of being burned or frozen in the immediate future. Of course, he had assumed that Weiss would act as a deterrent for Yang's overt behavior. He didn't account for the fact that the blonde was shameless when she had her mind set on something.

Yang cut a piece of the pie and put it on a plate, then speared a piece with her fork and held it up for Gwyn. "Say ah."

"What are you doing, Yang?!"

_Right. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. _Gwyn suppressed the urge to sigh. He'd had just about enough of this nonsense and was tempted to leave, regardless of the consequences.

Instead of doing that, he reached into the basket and pulled out the bottle of champagne. _Red... how romantic. _Gwyn gave an internal sigh and started pouring himself a glass of the champagne. If he was going to get a headache from all this, he was going to make sure at least a part of it came from drinking.

He grabbed a glass from the basket and readied to open the bottle.

"Oh, let me." The blonde pulled the bottle out of his hands before he could do it. "I'm the one who invited you out, so allow _me_ to serve you, Mr. Adams."

Weiss flushed at Yang's action and then grabbed the bottle. "No, let me!"

"Girls... you really shouldn't be doing all this." Gwyn tried to placate the pair before things got anymore out of hand. "Let's just enjoy-"

"Let go you blonde bimbo!" Weiss gripped the bottle by its neck and pulled, almost jerking it out of Yang's hands.

"What's your problem Princess?! You were the one who said I could do this!" The blonde pulled back, eyes tinged with red.

"I CHANGED MY MIND!"

The bottle, poor glass thing it was, couldn't stand up to the fury of the two young women. With a loud 'pop', the cap flew off, drenching Weiss in red champagne.

"Ugh, look what you did!" Weiss got to her feet, disgusted. She raised her hands and shook off the red liquid on them. "My blouse is ruined!"

"What _I _did?" Yang rose to her feet as well and leaned towards Weiss, a finger pointed at her face. "You were the one who barged in on us!" She turned around at Gwyn and said, "Tell her, Gwyn!"

He didn't answer.

"Hey... are you alright?"Yang took a step towards him, concern on her face.

He didn't notice.

"What did you do, Yang!?" Weiss rounded on Yang when she realized Gwyn wasn't responding.

"I didn't do anything!"

He didn't hear them.

Gwyn's eyes were on Weiss, and the red splattered over her chest. A dark crimson, spreading even as she stood there berating Yang.

_Panicked blue eyes, blurred with tears stared back at him. Her face was one of betrayal and deep hurt. _

"Of course you did! What on earth made you think inviting Gwyn out on a date was a good idea?!"

"Hey, it's not like you were going to make a move anytime soon! Besides, I knew him longer than you did!"

The two continued arguing, forgetting about the subject of their disagreement.

_No, no! Don't do this. Please, don't-!_

Pain. Pain. Pain, pain, painpainpainpainpain.

Gwyn dropped his glass on the ground and scrambled backwards, hitting one of the hedges.

Where was he? Where was he? WHERE WAS HE?

"Gwyn!"

The girl with red on her chest turned towards him, those sparkling blue eyes staring at him with worry (_hateguiltpain)_.

He tore at the hedges to get to his feet and wrenched out Grail Sanctum. With a crazed look, he said, "_Who did that?_"

He needed to know. He needed to know. He needed to know who did that to her so he could _end them_.

"I... what?" Weiss was confused at Gwyn's actions. "Gwyn, what are you talking about?"

He didn't answer. _They_ were starting to appear. The demons that he had to fight, had to kill.

The world blurred, shifting around the three as Gwyn lost his grip on reality. Like the dream he had, what he saw became what was real.

The lush, green hedges turned into concrete walls, caked with red. The flowers wilted and turned to ashes, as the grass shriveled and was replaced by a dirty, cracked, concrete floor.

Weiss took a step back as the red champagne on her chest turned to blood. "What...?"

"Look out!"

The heiress turned, and a crimson blade flew towards her heart.

* * *

A/N: Well this chapter fought me pretty hard. Planned to take it in one direction, but it seemed to take a life of its own and brought me this way. Not entirely satisfied with the way it turned out, but you get what you get, I suppose.

Gwyn suffers from PTSD, in case anyone's confused about the way he acted when the champagne spilled. That... doesn't end well for someone with his powers. In case anyone's curious, his theme song would be "I May Fall" from the RWBY OST. Should give a hint as to what happened.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, leave a review. I appreciate the feedback a lot, as it helps me improve.


	10. Demons and the Past

**Live to Lie, Lie to Live**

Ozpin sat in his private office and observed the drama that was unfolding between Yang, Weiss, and Gwyn on his scroll, which lay on his wooden desk next to a tall plate of chocolate chip cookies and a filled mug of coffee.

Unlike his large and intimidating public office that he used to meet students, faculty, and perform administrative duties, his private office was small and cozy, the place he used to unwind from his duties as a headmaster.

From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary classroom that was next to his public office, albeit one locked at all times. There was even a display on the glass window that showed just that when you looked inside. Of course, it was anything but ordinary.

The room was dark, lit only by the light of the monitors that lined an entire wall. These showed a live feed of news in the world of Hunters, as well as general reports from his many associates about his numerous projects. His desk was oriented to face this wall, though Ozpin paid the screens no attention at the moment.

On the same wall with the door that could be seen by the public, that is to the left of his desk, there was a coffee maker, boxes of high-grade coffee beans imported from Mistral and all the materials necessary to process them, as well as half a dozen gallons of water to make Ozpin's favorite coffee. Alongside the coffee, there was a small refrigerator that Ozpin had customized to be ten times larger on the inside, which was stocked with a vast supply of sugary sweets of all sorts.

To the wall on his right, shelves of unmarked discs and books were stacked on top of each others. And then, behind Ozpin's desk, a secret entrance to his public office was hidden.

It opened, and then a voice called out.

"Headmaster."

He looked up from his scroll and spun around to see Glynda standing in the closing passageway. The strict Huntress held a clipboard in her left hand and raised an eyebrow when she saw Ozpin's scroll. "Are you spying on them again?"

"Of course not." He smoothed his expression and took a sip of coffee from the mug on his desk. "I am observing their progress. There is a difference between the two."

The huntress scoffed and walked around to the other side of Ozpin's desk, sitting on one of the boxes of coffee. "Observation is not something performed during lunch hours in your private office, Headmaster. Neither is it performed with a full tray of chocolate chip cookies and mug of coffee."

"...This is my lunch."

"Your... lunch?"

Ozpin gave Glynda a smirk. "Even a prominent Huntsman as myself requires sustenance, Glynda. You should know this by now."

The huntress raised her hand, as if to lecture the headmaster, but lowered it and let out a sigh. "Of course, Headmaster."

"Now Glynda. What was it that you wanted from me?" He looked at the clipboard in her hands. "From that, I assume this is related to a student?"

"Yes."

Glynda stood and placed the clipboard on Ozpin's desk, sliding it over for him to look at. "I've received the medical history for Gwyn Adams as you asked, along with his psychological profile."

"Excellent." The headmaster picked up the clipboard and looked back at Glynda. "I assume that everything is in order?"

The huntress frowned. "Not... exactly. If I may ask, what made you accept him into the school, Headmaster?"

Ozpin didn't answer. He flipped through the report, pausing here and there to read the notes written by the evaluators.

"Headmaster. I need to know why you allowed such a dangerous person into the school."

Complete Aura expenditure. Minor fractures in every bone of his body. Ruptured blood vessels. Minor strokes. Circulatory shock. Cardiogenic shock. Torn ligaments. Torn muscles.

The report read like an encyclopedia of medical conditions rather than a physical health evaluation.

"Oz."

He looked up at the mention of his nickname. "Hm?"

Glynda pursed her lips. "I need to know. He's dangerous, Oz. To himself and his team."

He shook his head. "It's taken care of, Glynda."

The calm Huntress slammed her hand against the table. "You do not _take care of_ someone like him, Oz! He's a killer! A killer who was trained in infiltration and assassination!"

Ozpin was silent, and then looked back at the report. He flipped past the physical evaluations. They weren't important, and he already knew about them from Qrow. What he cared about was the young man's mental evaluation, the psychological profile of Mr. Adams.

"You can't ignore this, Oz!" Glynda snatched the report out of his hands. She flipped to the last page, and then pointed at a single line near the bottom, reading it. "Gwyn Adams suffers from PTSD, a condition that, coupled with his training and Semblance, may have lethal results if not managed. Qrow."

She glared at Ozpin. "His Semblance allows him to bend reality, Oz. Makes what he thinks what _is_, and he can't control it. What if his traumatic experiences manifest? If a death is reenacted?"

Ozpin was calm. "I assure you, Glynda, that the situation is taken care of. I've given him a charm that will prevent his nightmares from-"

The headmaster froze as he saw the last paragraph in the report.

_Addendum: After training, it has been shown that Gwyn Adam's Semblance has more control over him than he has of it. While the unconscious mind and dreams have been taken care of through lucid dreaming, I have found that he possesses physical triggers that elicit the same responses in the waking world. These are, in order of severity: blood or similar liquid on anyone with blue eyes, wounded children, wounded comrades, and hordes of Grimm. _

"Oz?"

The headmaster glanced at his scroll in time to see Yang and Weiss fight over a bottle of red champagne.

He grabbed his staff and shot out of his chair, pressing a button to unlock the door to his office.

"Wait, where are you going?"

He paused at the door and turned to give Glynda a somber expression. "I made a mistake."

And then he wrenched it open, running down the halls and hoping that he made it in time before Gwyn did something he would regret.

Glynda stared at the headmaster's vanishing form and then walked over to the scroll to see what caused his reaction.

"By the Dust..."

* * *

Blood splattered on the ground.

Yang winced as the crimson blade sliced her right arm, but never stopped moving, pulling Weiss away from her attacker.

_"Ahahaha."_

It was an eerie laughter, a chilling sound that echoed from everywhere and nowhere. _"Three. She was number three. The third one you killed."_

Yang looked towards the source of the voice and couldn't help but take a step back.

It was a demon. Not a Grimm. No, those creatures could be comprehended. As soulless as the monsters were, they had a basis on reality. An analogue in the form of animals that lived in the wild.

The _thing _in front of her and Weiss was no Grimm.

Its body was a fluid, black liquid. It had four limbs, but they rippled as if barely contained in their forms, black tendrils trilling across the surface of its skin. It had a head, but it was blurred, like an image just out of focus. Despite that, Yang could clearly make out a pair of bloody orbs that leered back at them, malice and a thirst for violence in its gaze. A single black crescent cut across where a mouth would be, twisted in a sick mockery of a grin.

Weiss stared at the _thing_ with wide eyes. "What _is_ that?"

Yang didn't want to know. Whatever it was, she was sure that sticking around would mean their deaths. That _thing_ wasn't a soulless creature that wandered with rampant rage and violence. No. It had Aura, Yang could feel it. But the Aura... it was bloodied and filled with so much hate, so much pain, so much destruction that it grated against her soul.

"We've gotta go. Now." Yang turned and started to pull Weiss away.

"Wait! Gwyn's standing in front of it!"

"What?"

The blonde spun around.

It was like Weiss said. Gwyn was standing in front of the _thing_, his weapon turned to a sword the same color of the one that _thing_ wielded.

_Of all the stupid things to do... _Yang ground her teeth.

It looked like he was going to fight it, but he was in no shape to do so. His arms trembled, even as he clenched his blade with an ironclad grip. His legs shook, even as his posture screamed defiance and rage.

Yang made a snap decision.

The blonde ran, dragging Weiss along whether she wanted to leave or not. That_ thing_ would cause their deaths if they stayed. Yang didn't know why the heiress couldn't feel it, but she wouldn't let her teammate die here if she could help it.

Their escape was cut off as the _thing_ appeared in front of them, sword trailing behind it. "_Naughty girls, trying to run away from me. What are you so scared of? I won't hurt you."_

Yang suppressed a gag. Wrong. The _thing_ before them was an affront to nature. It's sword was caked with blood, dripping with the viscous life fluid.

She glanced at Weiss to see her reaction. Surely she would have noticed it by now!

xxx

Weiss shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Something wasn't right.

There was the smell of blood, a sharp metallic tang that stung her nose when she breathed. There was pain, the sensation of being stabbed in the chest, over and over again.

But at the same time, there wasn't.

She focused, remembering her time training as a Huntress to clear her mind. _There._

Double vision. That was the sensation of seeing overlapping images as a result of a disconnect between both eyes. This was similar, but on a larger scale.

She could see the person in front of her and the blade being stabbed in her chest. She could feel the pain and betrayal going through her mind. She could smell the blood and dank musk of the dungeon. She could hear the sounds the blade made as it was used. She could taste the bitter and salty tears streaming down her face.

But that wasn't her.

Her blue eyes, filled with hate, guilt, and pain, and the boy forced to inflict it. Weiss acknowledged the dichotomy and regained awareness of the situation at hand, the surroundings snapping into focus as she saw the truth of the scene.

There was a boy, one who couldn't have been older than ten years old. Short, with brown hair and light green eyes. He was crying. Covered in blood, the young boy was crying with an expression of guilt, pain, and despair on his face that should never be seen on someone his age.

She wrenched herself out of Yang's grip. "We can't leave!"

Yang gave her teammate an incredulous stare. "What are you doing Weiss? We gotta go before that _thing_ kills us!"

She glared at Yang. "We can't leave that boy!"

The blonde followed Weiss's gaze and shook her head. "What are you talking about? There's no boy!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at her teammate's expression. _Can't she see him?_

She turned back to the person standing in front of them, holding a blade far too large for his small body.

He looked up when he noticed Weiss was staring. "_Good bye._"

And the blade flew towards her heart again.

"Weiss!"

She heard her teammate call her name and move towards her. The distance between them was negligible, less than a single pace away. But it was too vast, a distance too great to cross before the blade would pierce her chest. In the time it took for her to cross the gap, the stab would connect and her life would end.

She realized that, and tried to use her Semblance. A glyph formed beneath her feet, one that would give her a burst in speed to let her escape. But that wouldn't be enough. The time it took for her to process the course of action had let the blade reach the halfway point, the boy following with that ever sorrowful expression.

"_Break_."

Words of power, echoing in the air itself, cut through the timeless haze before her death, and the boy was sent reeling backwards before turning into the _thing_ that Yang was talking about.

The surroundings strained, as if something was pulling at the world around them and then, with a loud snap, Weiss and Yang were back in the gardens.

Gwyn lay on the ground a few paces in front of them, eyes wide and unseeing with blood dripping down the side of his face.

"Headmaster?"

Weiss looked up. Ozpin stood in front of the _thing_. His staff was raised, pulsing with an emerald Aura, and pointed at the _thing_.

He craned his head back, a small apologetic smile on his face. "I apologize for the mess, Ms. Schnee, Ms. Long. It appears that I made a careless mistake."

The _thing_ got up and roared, a bloodied pistol appearing in its left hand, paired with the bloodied sword in its right.

"What's going on, Headmaster?" Yang said. "What's happening to Gwyn?"

A frown was all Weiss could make out from the man before he vanished, using his staff to intercept a flurry of shots aimed towards her. "It's... complicated," Ozpin said. "I'll explain after I take care of our problem."

The _thing_ chuckled, and then descended into insane laughter.

Weiss blinked and it was in front of her once more, the blade hovering just above her neck.

Before she could so much as scream, it was gone again, knocked away by the headmaster. "Stay by Gwyn's side, Ms. Schnee. That is the safest place for you at the moment."

"Why?"

She had to know. Everything had descended into chaos too fast for the heiress to comprehend. At least this, she had to know before her mind locked up, unable to process the information.

"You will not come to harm so long as you are by his side."

* * *

Ozpin saw Weiss take his advice and let out an internal sigh in relief. Yang was quick to follow her teammate, alleviating another of the headmaster's concerns.

He was free now to finish the battle.

Ozpin shifted his staff, pointing it at Gwyn's demon. "You do not exist."

A roar was his response, and the _thing_ charged, a barrage of bullets appearing in front of him.

Gears spun and time slowed.

The bullets rammed into the ground, and Ozpin appeared behind the demon, slashing across its back with his staff. The emerald-cloaked weapon burned through the _thing_'_s_ body, but it healed in an instant, rounding on its attacker.

"A single cut is not enough, hm?" Ozpin narrowed his eyes.

Gears spun faster and time froze.

The _thing_ shimmered, and then it vanished as an innumerable number of slashes tore it to shreds.

Ozpin appeared in front of Gwyn and let out a troubled sigh.

When the headmaster looked down at the once again exhausted young man, he felt a stab of guilt. He shook his head, and then lifted Gwyn up. He turned to the two young ladies who had been by the brunette's side and bore witness to his living nightmares. "I suppose you two want answers?"

They both nodded.

"Follow me. We will talk after we get all of you treated for your wounds."

* * *

"Ouch!"

"Now, Ms. Long. I'm afraid that you're going to have to stay still if you don't want the cut to be infected."

Weiss smiled as she watched Yang. The cut in Yang's arm hadn't healed with her Aura, which Ozpin explained was because the Aura cloaking the blade she was cut by disrupted her own. Because of that, the wound had to be cleaned and taped as her body naturally healed itself.

To do that, the headmaster had taken them to the infirmary and left them with a Nurse Joy, a young lady with curly red hair. At the moment, they were in an examination room with Yang sitting on the examination table being attended by the nurse while Weiss sat on a chair by the room's computer.

The blonde had taken off her brown vest so that the nurse could treat her arm, and wore her yellow undershirt.

Nurse Joy looked up, finished with treating Yang. "I wouldn't be happy so soon if I were you, Ms. Schnee. It's your turn now."

The heiress shook her head. "I'm fine."

The nurse frowned. "I'll be the judge of that. Up on the table now."

Yang jumped off the table and stuck her tongue out at Weiss.

She shook her head at her teammate's childish antics and did as the nurse asked. "Really, I'm fine. Yang was the one who got injured, not me."

Nurse Joy held up her scroll, one modified to scan the body as well as Aura, and frowned at the readings she got. "Not according to my scan." She turned towards Yang. "You're free to leave, Ms. Long. The headmaster should be waiting for you in the room across the hall."

"About time!" Yang grabbed her vest and put it on. She turned to Weiss and waved before walking out of the room.

When she was gone, the nurse turned her attention back to Weiss. "Take off your jacket and dress, Ms. Schnee."

"W-what?" Weiss flushed and shook her head. "I-I'm sure that won't be necessary. I'm fine!"

"Don't argue with me, Ms. Schnee. I have to make sure that the readings are correct."

Weiss turned a deep red, but did as the nurse asked and removed the bloodstained garments. "T-there. Happy?"

The nurse was quiet as she examined Weiss's chest and back. "...Well you should be fine. You've lost a lot of blood and your heart suffered some shock, but it's not too bad. I'm afraid there will be slight scarring, however." She turned her scroll for Weiss to look.

Faint red lines trailing across the majority of her chest. Like the nurse said, it was only slight, but what had once been flawless pale skin was now marred.

She stared at the lines with wide eyes. "...How did it happen?"

"I'm not sure, Ms. Schnee. I've never seen anything like it." The nurse frowned. "The scar tissue is like a burn, yet the wound is smooth, like you were cut."

_So it actually happened._ She brushed a hand along the lines, testing it. She couldn't feel any difference in texture, but her chest did feel a bit tight.

"Here." The nurse handed Weiss a clean uniform. "There's no point in walking around with those blood-stained clothes."

Weiss gave her an absent nod and got dressed. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it, dear. Go on and meet the headmaster now."

The heiress got off the examination table, grabbed her ruined clothes, and left, dozens of questions on her mind.

* * *

Ozpin acknowledged Weiss's entrance with a small nod.

The room they were in was a small lounge, the kind where people waited for news of their injured loved ones or friends.

The headmaster was sitting on a plain leather sofa facing the entrance. His staff was laid across his lap, and he didn't have a coffee cup for once, both hands calmly clasped in his lap.

Sitting on the sofa across from him way Yang. Her head was bowed, and she seemed lost in thought.

Weiss took a seat next to her.

"Well, now that both of you are here, the explanation can begin." The headmaster straightened and fixed an intense gaze on Yang and Weiss. "But first, know that what you hear is not to be repeated under any circumstance, under penalty of death."

Weiss frowned. "You can't do that."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, no trace of his affable demeanor present. "And why not, Ms. Schnee? What I am about to tell you is secured with Level III authorization under Code Avail. A well-studied individual as yourself should understand the implications of that."

Weiss paled and shook her head. "Y-you're kidding right?"

"This is no joke, Ms. Schnee. Should this information leak, you will find yourself an internationally wanted criminal, and branded as a Rogue Huntress."

Code Avail. The cardinal rule of Hunters everywhere that said the Grimm were the bane of Light, and that was the Hunter's duty to fight back against them. Level III authorization on its own meant that the information was paramount, the type that would normally only be heard by the King and those close to him. But if it was under Code Avail as well, it meant that it was essential to the balance of light and dark in the world, to the fight against the Grimm.

She realized it. The reason why he was always tense. Why he looked like he was. His attitude against her when they first met. Why he worked so hard to save her.

"Gwyn Adams... is a weapon, isn't he?"

Ozpin was silent, and shifted his gaze towards Yang. "I'm surprised, Ms. Long. I would have thought you, of all people, would have more to say. But I suspect you already knew, didn't you?"

"I... thought he was something like that, but I didn't think-" The blonde shook her head. "I saw the clearance of his files, but I thought they were because of the missions he went on."

"I see. Yes, that would be one conclusion that could be drawn." Ozpin sighed. "I would rather this never happened, but I suppose it's a bit too late for that now, isn't it?"

Weiss sank into the leather behind her. She just wanted to be a Huntress, not involved in some plot that could mean the end of Remnant. She had enough responsibilities as it was, being the Schnee heiress.

_I just wanted to know him better._ She shook her head. That was a selfish thought. You couldn't take the good and ignore the bad. The world didn't work that way. As the Schnee heiress, she knew that better than anyone else.

She straightened and took a deep breath. Whatever she learned about Gwyn today wouldn't change anything between them. In the end, it boiled down to Weiss's choice, and in that moment she chose to know more about the brunette and why she saw that young boy with crying green eyes.

"Shall we begin?" Ozpin asked.

"Wait." Yang looked around the room. "Where's Gwyn?"

The headmaster checked his scroll. "Mr. Adams is in the same room he was the first time he ended up in the infirmary. I believe he's being seen to at the moment by the rest of your team, as well as his."

"Now," the headmaster said. "I presume both of you desire to learn the truth behind Mr. Adams and his condition?"

Weiss nodded, as did Yang beside her.

"Very well." Ozpin closed his eyes for a brief moment, and then spoke. "It's like you said, Ms. Schnee. Gwyn Adams is a weapon. From the time he was young to the current date, he has been trained to be the perfect Huntsman."

"What do you mean by that, Headmaster?" Weiss asked.

Yang shifted beside her, and asked, "He's... human, right?"

"Of course he is." Ozpin shook his head, a slight smirk on his face. "Did you think otherwise, Ms. Long? Perhaps in the fashion of some mechanically constructed being with living metal that can adapt and transform to any battlefield?"

The blonde coughed and stared at the headmaster with wide eyes.

_...Doesn't his weapon do that though?_ Weiss thought.

Ozpin waved his hands. "Worry not, girls. Mr. Adams is perfectly human. While there may be some mechanoid beings in service, I assure you he is not one of them."

"That's... good, I guess," Yang said.

"But answering your question, Ms. Schnee, what I mean is that out of all the Beacon students in attendance, Mr. Adams possesses the greatest combat capability against the creatures of Grimm. In single combat, no student, as well as half of the staff, may match him."

Something about that statement seemed off to Weiss. "Wait. Isn't Beacon supposed to train us to fight as teams, not individuals?"

"In that, you are correct, Ms. Schnee." Ozpin frowned. "But those that shaped Gwyn did not understand that." His expression clouded for a moment, and he tightened his hands.

"Shaped?" Yang asked. "You're joking, right?"

"Like I said to Ms. Schnee, this is no joke."

"But... he's a person!" Yang shot to her feet, eyes ringed with red. "You don't do that to people!"

"...Sit down, Ms. Long. You do him no favors by being riled up at the moment."

Weiss fidgeted, the headmaster's words ringing too close for comfort.

Yang glared at Ozpin for a brief moment, then took a deep breath and sat back down. "I'm sorry."

"No, your anger is understandable, Ms. Long. As is your silence, Ms. Schnee." He paused for a moment, then continued. "Both of you know what Semblances are, correct?"

"Of course," Weiss said. "They're as valuable as Aura in the life of a Hunter."

"Yeah," Yang said. "I use mine a lot. Pretty handy. Why are you asking?"

"In that case, do you understand that they are the manifestation of one's character? An ability directly related to the personality and mindset of an individual?"

Weiss frowned. "What are you trying to say, Headmaster?"

"Mr. Adam's Semblance is 'Lies'. Falsification. The ability to bring falsehoods to life."

"You can't be serious," Yang said. "But that means-"

"He can bend reality," Weiss finished.

The headmaster nodded, a solemn look on his face. "Yes. Yes it does. But it doesn't end there. Lies, after all, tend to take on a life of their own after a fashion. And then there is his mental state to consider."

"Mental state?" Weiss asked. "Is something wrong with him?"

Ozpin sighed. "Perhaps it would be better if I showed the two of you. Know that this is only because I want you to understand the severity of the situation." The headmaster pulled out a stack of papers from behind him, and handed it over to the girls. "Those are Gwyn's medical records, and mental evaluation."

"Gwyn... he's really gone through all of this?" Weiss asked. "But why? If this is correct, then what he did to save me..." _Cost him years of his life._

She didn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it, but the facts were laid bare before her, in the cold, analytical papers that told her of Gwyn's condition and in the headmaster's solemn presence.

He had almost died. No, he was dying.

There had to be a reason. A reason why he would force himself to such dire straits, changing his body's makeup to survive what outright kill others.

Then she remembered what she had experienced when that _thing_ appeared. "He was forced to kill people when he was a boy, wasn't he? That's how they tried to mold him. A killer."

The headmaster looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Of course. The harmonization of memories... I didn't expect for a single dream to do that." He shook his head. "If you've seen that, then perhaps there's hope for him yet."

There was a knock on the door, and it opened. "Headmaster?"

Glynda walked in, nodding briefly to the girls, and then addressed Ozpin. "He's awake and asking for Ms. Long and Ms. Schnee."

"I see. Very well, go on and tell him that we will be there soon."

The stoic huntress nodded and left, leaving the three to finish their conversation.

Ozpin turned back to the girls. "I hope you understand the severity of the situation. While I doubt another episode like today will occur again, as I've added more countermeasures to Mr. Adam's talisman to prevent it, I would advise both of you to be cautious. Treat him normally, despite what you've learned today, and respect his privacy."

Weiss was silent, as was Yang beside her.

"Come. Let's not keep the sick waiting too long."

With those words, Ozpin stood and walked towards the door, the girls following close behind, each lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

A/N: Like the one before it, this chapter fought me tooth and nail to finish. As a result, it's not as good as I'd hoped it to be, and the plot's taken a twist from my original intentions. But at the same time, it feels... right compared to what I had in mind.

It's a bit confusing to be honest.

I don't think I've executed what was planned the best I could, and I might rewrite it later, but it's not *too* bad, I think.

In any case, here we learn a lot of Gwyn's background, and get a glimpse of Ozpin in action. With the truth out, interactions will change quite a bit from this point on, though events will get back on schedule with canon. I hope.

On second thought, it might be the changing viewpoints that are messing me up... well, I'll try a few things for the next chapter to see what works.

Thanks for reading, and remember to leave a review if you enjoyed, or saw something that bothered you or needed clarification. Your feedback is what helps me, and the story, improve and is greatly appreciated.

Until the next.


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